Maryland Senator Dalya Attar Indicted Over Alleged Secret Recordings Extortion Scheme

Maryland State Senator Dalya Attar, along with her brother Joseph Attar and Baltimore Police Officer Kalman Finkelstein, has been federally indicted on charges including extortion, conspiracy, and illegal wiretapping for allegedly orchestrating a scheme to secretly record a former political consultant and her married romantic partner in bed. Prosecutors say the recordings were made using hidden cameras disguised as smoke detectors and tracking devices, and were used to threaten the victims to silence them and prevent criticism against Attar, particularly during her 2022 re-election campaign. The indictment reveals that the scheme began around 2020 when the consultant stayed at an apartment linked to Finkelstein's family, where the devices were installed. Messages cited from the indictment show the defendants discussed using the footage to intimidate the victims and influence their public actions. Attar, who became the first Orthodox Jewish woman in the Maryland Senate in 2023, is now in federal custody along with her co-defendants, as investigations continue. The Maryland Senate has stated it holds its members to high ethical standards and is monitoring the situation closely.