Maryland State Senator Dalya Attar, 35, has been indicted after allegedly filming two of her rivals in bed together in an attempt to silence them

She’s facing eight federal charges of extortion and conspiracy to blackmail that happened in the run-up to the 2020 and 2022 elections 

Indictment, filed on October 23, alleged that Attar, 35, planted tracking and recording devices to catch her two critics in the act

Attar then threatened to release the footage of the two ‘in bed’ unless they met her demands not to speak out against her publicly

Target of her scheme was allegedly a political consultant whom Attar filmed in bed with a married man

Attar is in federal custody, along with her brother Joseph Attar and Baltimore a city police officer, Kalman Finkelstein

The trio along with four unnamed co-conspirators, in the run-up to the elections colluded to obtain evidence that could be used to deter the former consultant from saying negative things about her campaign , 

Maryland State Senator Dalya Attar [photo], has been indicted after allegedly filming two of her rivals in bed together in an attempt to hush them. She’s facing eight federal charges of extortion and conspiracy to blackmail that happened in the run-up to the 2020 and 2022 elections 

Maryland State Senator Dalya Attar has been indicted after allegedly filming two of her political antagonists in bed together in an attempt to silence them. 
The indictment filed on October 23, alleged that the 35-year-old state lawmaker, planted tracking and recording devices to catch her two critics in the act. 
She then threatened to release the footage of the two ‘in bed’ unless they met her demands not to speak out against her publicly, prosecutors said. 
Attar is facing eight federal charges of extortion and conspiracy related to the alleged plot, which prosecutors said occurred in the run-up to the 2020 and 2022 elections. 
The target of her scheme was allegedly a political consultant whom Attar filmed in bed with a married man.  

Sen. Dalya Attar, seen [right], with Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff, has held office since 2019. Recognized as the highest ranking Orthodox Jewish woman in US politics, she’s currently in a hotly contested re-election campaign  

Attar, a Democrat, has held office since 2019, became the first Orthodox Jewish woman to serve on the Maryland State Senate.
She was first elected to her Baltimore district in the Maryland House of Delegates in 2018, and the former consultant worked on that campaign. In January she was appointed to an open Maryland Senate seat to fill a vacancy.
She is currently in a hotly contested re-election campaign.
The indictment states that Sen. Attar, her brother Joseph ‘Yossi’ Attar and Kalman Finkelstein, a Baltimore police officer who worked on her campaign, conspired with four unnamed persons to obtain evidence that could be used to prevent the former consultant from saying negative things about the lawmaker’s campaign, the indictment said.
Attar reportedly, is in federal custody along with her brother, Joseph Attar, and officer Finkelstein.

Attar has been accused of blackmailing a consultant who worked on her previous election campaign, before a falling out Attar allegedly, was concerned the consultant would weaponize her voting record to derail her re-election bid

Sen Attar was indicted along with her brother Joseph Attar and now suspended Baltimore police officer, Kalman Finkelstein, [photo]

Attar had worked with the target, political consultant identified as a dual US and Israeli citizen, during her 2018 election. The pair parted ways soon after due to a disagreement. 
Concerned about flyers being released to the Jewish community about her voting record, Attar allegedly said her former political consultant was ‘looking to screw me’, fearing that their falling out was going to be weaponized.
Prosecutors said the state legislator further intended to use the blackmail to disrupt the consultant’s daughter’s ‘shidduchim’, a marriage matchmaking ceremony in the Orthodox Jewish community,
In a WhatsApp voice message sent in 2020, Attar allegedly said: ‘I just want her [the consultant] to be non-issue in my mind and in reality that won’t happen as long as she is relevant or doesn’t have anything worry about.’ 
According to prosecutors, the plot began in January 2020 when the consultant stayed in an apartment that belonged to Finkelstein’s family.

Sen. Attar, seen [photo with her two children], according to federal prosecutors, in the run-up to the 2020 and 2022 elections conspired to obtain evidence that could be used to deter the former consultant from saying negative things about her campaign

Officer Finkelstein and Joseph Attar broke into the unit while the tenant was away. The two men allegedly installed cameras disguised as smoke detectors inside, and planted a tracking device on the consultant’s car. 
Five days later, Joseph messaged a WhatsApp group of the conspirators when a man entered the apartment, saying: ‘We have a visitor…’, per the indictment.  
Attar then allegedly had her brother threaten the consultant and the married man in March 2021 with the release of the video unless the consultant would ‘leave Dalya alone.’ 
Attar allegedly said that blackmail could be ‘the perfect way to scare’ the consultant out of distributing flyers about her voting record. In November 2021, Attar allegedly sent a message to her brother and one of the unnamed co-conspirators, saying that ‘if that video really exists, it’ll be really helpful now.’ 
It is unclear if the video was ever released. 
On December 6, 2021, the indictment alleges that Joseph Attar contacted the married man to ‘discuss an opportunity.’
Dalya Attar filed for re-election in the House of Delegates that same day. 
Joseph Attar then told the man he had ‘hours’ of footage of him in bed with the consultant, and ordered him to make the consultant ‘stay out’ of the election. 
If he didn’t, Joseph allegedly threatened to ‘share this video with everybody you know, everyone she knows, every Rabbi in town, your kids, your wife, her daughters.’ 

Attar allegedly had her brother threaten the consultant and the married man in March 2021 with the release of the video unless the consultant would ‘leave Dalya alone.’ She filed for re-election in the House of Delegates that same day  

The married man allegedly told the consultant about the videos, and responded in a text to Attar’s brother: ‘I already told her. I did what you asked. There’s nothing else I can do… You have everything you asked for. Put it to bed. Leave me the hell alone.’ 
The Baltimore Banner reported that Finkelstein’s police powers were suspended in 2022, and he has been placed on administrative duty. 
State Sen. Dalya Attar said in a statement: ‘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.
‘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.’