State Sen. Dalya Attar (D-41st), of Baltimore City, was recently arrested and indicted on federal extortion and conspiracy charges, according to multiple media reports.
Attar, 35, is the first Orthodox woman to serve in the state Senate in its 248-year history and is believed to be the highest-ranking Orthodox woman in American political history.
She was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on eight charges on Oct. 23, according to the Baltimore Sun. Her co-defendants in the case, her brother, local real estate developer Joseph “Yossi” Attar, and Kalman G. Finkelstein, a Baltimore City police officer, were also taken into federal custody.
The Attars and Finkelstein are charged with allegedly spying on and conspiring to blackmail a political consultant who worked on a previous Attar campaign. According to the indictment, recording devices were placed in smoke detectors secretly recording the former consultant in bed with a romantic partner who “was married to another person”
In a statement released to People magazine, Attar said, “I would never do anything to knowingly jeopardize my constituents’ trust in me. … 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.”
In a statement, A. Jeff Ifrah, a lawyer for Attar, said, “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. The woman has a long history of unstable behavior and lost custody of her five children in her divorce as a result. We look forward to resolving this case before trial, but are fully prepared to fight these false charges if necessary to clear Dalya’s name.”
In a statement, Senate President Bill Ferguson’s office said, “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, 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.”
A Baltimore-born married mother of two, Attar was sworn in by Ferguson as a member of the Maryland Senate last January. She replaced former Sen. Jill P. Carter, who resigned from her position after being nominated by Gov. Wes Moore to serve on the Maryland Board of Contract Appeals.
A Northwest Baltimore, resident, Attar is a graduate of the Bais Yaakov School for Girls, the University of Baltimore and the Francis King Carey School of Law at University of Maryland. She is a congregant of the Baltimore Sephardic Center Beit Yaakov Synagogue in Park Heights.
Attar was elected to the House of Delegates in 2018, representing the 41st District.
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