Prosecutors Have Indicted Maryland Lawmaker For Extortion and Conspiracy For Recording Political Rivals In Bed Together

Federal prosecutors in Baltimore have indicted Maryland lawmaker Dalya Attar on federal extortion and conspiracy charges.

Attar is a Democrat state Senator represents District 41 in the city of Baltimore. She made history by becoming the first Orthodox Jewish woman to hold a seat in the Maryland Senate. She took office in January following a vacancy.

Federal prosecutors indicted Attar on eight charges on October 23rd.

The indictment alleges that the 35 year-old Attar planted tracking and recording devices on two of her rivals. Prosecutors also say she recorded them in bed together in an attempt to silence them.

Afterwards, Attar threatened to release the footage of the two victims “in bed” unless they met her demands. Attar’s demands were simple. They were not to speak out against her publicly.

Court documents said that one victim is a political consultant whom she filmed in bed with a married man.

Prosecutors also indicted Joseph Attar and Kalman Finkelstein as co-defendants. Law enforcement also took them into federal custody.

The indictment also states that Attar worked with four unnamed co-conspirators to carry out the scheme.

Attar worked with the political consultant during her 2018 election. However, the two parted ways soon after due to a disagreement.

Attar allegedly feared that the consultant was “looking to screw me.” 

 Attar was concerned about flyers about her voting record being released to the Jewish community.

Prosecutors Say Attar Initiated The Plot In 2020

Prosecutors said that the plot began in January 2020. The political consultant stayed in an apartment owned by the Finkelstein’s family. The victim claims a cop and Attar’s brother broke into the unit while she was away.

The two men then allegedly installed cameras disguised as smoke detectors inside in the apartment. The duo then planted a tracking device on the consultant’s car.

In March 2021, Attar allegedly had her brother threaten the consultant and married man. They threatened to release of the video unless the consultant would ‘leave Dalya alone.’

In November 2021, the indictment alleges that Attar sent a message to her brother and one of the unnamed co-conspirators. The message said, “if the video really exists, it’ll be really helpful now.”

On December 6, 2021, Attar’s brother contacted the married man to “discuss an opportunity.” 

He told the man that he had “hours” of footage of him in bed with the consultant.

The indictment alleges that Attar’s brother threatened to:

“Share this video with everyone you know, everyone she knows, every Rabbi in town, your kids, your wife, her daughters.”

Senate President Bill Ferguson’s office released a statement acknowledging the news:

“This is the first we have been made aware of state Senator Dayla Attar’s arrest and we don’t have any additional information to provide at this time. The Senate of Maryland holds its members to the highest ethical standards as we serve our constituents, and we will continue to do so as we learn more about the alleged facts in the indictment.” 

Senator Dalya Attar released the following statement:

“I ran for public office because of my strong belief in serving my community that I love, and I would never do anything to knowingly jeopardize my constituents’ trust in me. The case centers on the allegations of my former disgruntled employee. We have yet to see any tangible evidence to support the claim that I knew of any illegal actions taken on my behalf.

I look forward to sharing my side of the story, and believe the truth will be the arbiter of justice. In the meantime, I will continue to serve my community with humility and honor, and look forward to being as transparent as possible.”

Senator Attar issued a new statement on a Facebook post on Baltimore Scoop’s page on Friday:

Dear Baltimore Community,

I ran for state senate to be a voice for our Baltimore Jewish community and have always strived to do the right thing even when it is difficult. I would never do anything to knowingly jeopardize the trust you have placed in me.

By now, I’m sure you have all read the lurid news stories about my charges. I want to assure you that the media stories do not capture what really happened.

The case centers on the allegations of a disgruntled woman from our community that I fired from my first campaign for cause. She has a history of instability with restraining orders filed against her.

I wish I had known this woman’s true character when I made the mistake of hiring her. Shortly after I ended her contract, she sent a text message that said, “Beware. When you least expect it, expect it. Goodbye. This is my final warning.”

What followed was a six-year nightmare that included extortion, harassment, threats, and stalking me and people close to me. I feared for my family’s safety, so much so that my family had her followed when she visited Baltimore to make sure she stayed away from me. As a result, we discovered that she was engaging in an inappropriate relationship with another person from our community.

The video in question was taken publicly, which is legal and cannot be the subject of an extortion charge. That’s it. Feeling desperate to protect my family, the message was conveyed to the woman that we had a legally obtained video and the six-year long harassment campaign must stop. I met with this woman to plead with her to leave me and my family alone.

Instead, the woman went to law enforcement and falsely accused me and my family of illegally recording them and attempting to extort them for money—all lies.

Rabbinical and legal guidance have strongly recommended that I refuse to give in to this woman’s demands and harassment. They urged me to continue my work for the community and fight back. I am reminded daily that the work I’m doing for our community is bigger than one person. I’m sure the false attacks will get louder before I am able to clear my name, but I am confident the truth will be the arbiter of justice.“

Read More About The Crazy Things Elected Officials On MFI-Miami.com.