Breaking: Maryland Democrat Indicted on Federal Extortion Charges for Allegedly Planting Hidden Cameras
Maryland state Sen. Dalya Attar, a Democrat from Baltimore, has been hit with federal charges of extortion and conspiracy after she allegedly concocted a plan to plant hidden cameras on a political enemy to obtain blackmail.
Attar was concerned about a “political foe” saying negative things about her during a 2022 campaign for the House of Delegates and planned to use hidden camera footage to expose an affair, according to The Washington Post.
The unnamed foe — identified only as Victim 1 — was a consultant who had worked with Attar in the past. They reportedly had a falling out, however, after working together during an earlier campaign back in 2018.
Attar, who is the first Orthodox Jewish woman to serve in the state Senate, wasn’t alone in the scheme either.
Her brother Joseph Attar, a real estate developer in Baltimore, was also identified in the indictment, along with Kalman G. Finkelstein, who was the first Orthodox Jewish officer in the Baltimore Police Department since the 1960s, The Washington Post reported.
Her brother and Finkelstein are charged with eight counts related to extortion and wiretapping.
The indictment outlined how the defendants allegedly sought to plant hidden cameras in a smoke detector within an apartment that the former consultant was using, to make recordings of her and another victim.
Another scandal is rocking Maryland politics — this time involving Democrat State Senator Dalya Attar of Baltimore, who now faces federal extortion and conspiracy charges.
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The indictment also included 2022 text messages exchanged by the three defendants that were quoted by prosecutors.
“We have one big bullet, and that bullet can be split into pieces, so if we show [Victim 1] a warning that we’re willing to show the video, we’re not afraid to show the video. It will scare [Victim 1,]” a text message sent from Dalya Attar to her alleged co-conspirators reportedly read.
Attar’s brother is also accused of meeting with one of the victims and showing them hidden camera footage of the two in bed together, and also threatening Victim 1 with releasing the tape.
In a statement sent to The Western Journal, Attar said: “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.”
She added, “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.”
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