Maryland state Sen. Dalya Attar is facing federal charges of extortion and conspiracy after she allegedly tried to blackmail a former consultant who worked on her campaign for the state House of Delegates in 2018.
Attar, the first Orthodox Jewish woman to serve in the state Senate, allegedly tried to document an affair between the consultant and a married man in order to stop her from sullying Attar’s campaign with negative statements. Attar and two indicted co-conspirators allegedly planted a hidden camera in a smoke detector in the consultant’s home to make recordings of the two engaging in the affair.
The indictment on eight charges, dated Oct. 23, was unsealed in federal court on Thursday.
The Washington Post reported that Attar released a statement in which she said that she plans to “continue to serve my community with humility and honor, and look forward to being as transparent as possible,” adding that the case against her “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,” the statement said. “I look forward to sharing my side of the story, and believe the truth will the arbiter of justice.”
“This case is based on the accusations of a mentally unstable, vindictive woman in the Baltimore Jewish community who was fired from Sen. Attar’s first campaign for cause,” Jeff Ifrah, Attar’s attorney, said in a statement, according to The Baltimore Sun. Ifrah added that they look forward “to resolving this case before trial, but are fully prepared to fight these false charges if necessary to clear Dalya’s name.”
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson’s office released a statement that said that “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.”
In addition to Attar, authorities arrested her brother, Joseph Attar, and Kalman Finkelstein, who, according to The Washington Post, is the Baltimore Police Department’s first Orthodox Jewish officer since the 1960s. The indictment states that both men worked on Attar’s campaign and conspired with her to commit the alleged crimes.
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 2025, she was appointed to fill a Maryland state Senate vacancy, becoming its youngest current member.
The indictment includes texts between the accused co-conspirators. The Washington Post said that Attar reportedly texted her brother and Finkelstein that the video of the affair is a “big bullet” that will “scare” the victim.
Ferguson’s office said that as new information is made available, Attar’s future will be further evaluated.
“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,” Ferguson’s office said.
