Maryland state Senator Dalya Attar, who was indicted last month on federal charges of extortion and conspiracy, pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday.
Attar and two named co-conspirators are accused of allegedly trying to blackmail a former consultant who worked on her first campaign for the state House of Delegates. This appearance was the trio’s first in court since the charges were made public.
Attar’s attorney, Jeff Ifrah, said Monday he will file a motion by Dec. 15 to dismiss the indictment.
Attar, the first Orthodox Jewish woman to serve in the Maryland Senate, allegedly tried to document an affair between the consultant and a married man in order to stop her from sullying Attar’s political career with negative statements. Attar, her brother Joseph Attar and Baltimore police officer Kalman Finkelstein allegedly planted a hidden camera in a smoke detector in the consultant’s home to make recordings of the two engaging in the affair.
“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,” Attar said after the indictment was made public on Oct. 23.
Attar is a Democrat who represents the 41st District in Northwest Baltimore. She was sworn in for her first term in the Maryland House of Delegates in January 2019 and won reelection in 2022.
In January this year, she was appointed to the Maryland State Senate, becoming its youngest current member. She has remained in office since the indictment.
“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,” she said through a spokesperson last month.
