Md. Politician Accused of Secretly Filming Ex-Consultant in Bed With Married Lover, Using as Blackmail to Silence Her By Christine Pelisek

A Maryland state senator has been charged in an alleged blackmail scheme that involved secretly filming a former political consultant in bed with a married lover.

Dalya Attar, a Democrat from Baltimore, was charged with eight counts related to extortion, conspiracy and wiretapping on Thursday, Oct. 23, according to a newly unsealed federal indictment obtained by the Washington Post.

Her brother, Joseph Attar, and Kalman Finkelstein, a Baltimore City Police Officer, are also charged in connection with the alleged scheme, per the outlet.

According to the indictment, which was unsealed on Thursday, Oct. 30, there were recording devices in smoke detectors secretly recording the former consultant in bed with her romantic partner, who “was married to another person.” The woman was staying in the apartment of a family member of Finkelstein’s at the time, per the indictment, the Associated Press reported.

The scheme allegedly included threatening to make the recordings of the couple in bed together public if the consultant spoke out against Attar’s 2022 re-election bid for the Maryland House of Delegates, the Baltimore Banner reported. 

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“I have hours of footage of you in bed with (Victim 1),” Joseph Attar allegedly wrote in a WhatsApp message to the romantic partner, according to the indictment, WBAL-TV reported.

“Here’s what I need you to do for this to go away permanently … So, the only thing you need to do is very simple, is to go to (Victim 1) and say to her, ‘Listen, leave Dalya alone. Don’t bring her up anymore to anyone. Stay out of this election, the delegate election,’ and make sure she doesn’t do anything against Dalya throughout this election … or I’ll share this video with everybody you know, everyone she knows, every rabbi in town, your kids, your wife, her daughters,” the alleged messages read, per the indictment.

The alleged plot also included tracking the victim’s whereabouts, per the Banner.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Attar says she “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,” adding that 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 says.

“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.”

According to the Associated Press, Attar is an Orthodox Jew and and became the first woman of that faith to serve in the state Senate.