MD Sen. Dalya Attar pleads not guilty to blackmailing scheme

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Maryland state Sen. Dalya Attar, D-Baltimore City, pleaded not guilty on Monday to a scheme in which she allegedly blackmailed a former campaign consultant.

Attar, her brother Joseph Attar and Baltimore police officer Kalman Finkelstein all pleaded not guilty to charges of extortion and conspiracy.

The three were indicted last month for allegedly recording Attar’s former consultant while she was having an affair. The indictment alleges they snuck into her home to install recording devices that looked like smoke alarms, then threatened to release the recordings to prevent her from publicly criticizing Attar during a campaign for the House of Delegates.

The three defendants each face eight charges. At the arraignment, which lasted just a few minutes, they answered questions indicating they understood the charges. Prosecutors said they anticipated a trial would last two to three weeks.

None spoke to the media after the hearing.

Attar, 35, is represented by Jeff Ifrah and James Trusty of Ifrah Law in Washington, D.C. Her brother is represented by former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein of Zuckerman Spaeder. Finkelstein’s attorney is Ty Kelly of Baker Donelson.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas Miller set a Dec. 15 deadline for pretrial motions.

The consultant’s work on Attar’s 2018 campaign ended in a “disagreement,” according to the campaign.

Finkelstein’s police powers were suspended in 2022 and he was assigned to administrative duties, according to a police spokesperson. He is currently suspended without pay.

In response to the indictment, Attar said she “would never do anything to knowingly jeopardize my constituents’ trust.”

“The case centers on the allegations of my former disgruntled employee,” Attar said in a statement to The Daily Record. “We have yet to see any tangible evidence to support the claim that I knew of any illegal actions taken on my behalf.”

In a March 2021 WhatsApp voice message, the indictment states, Attar tells Finkelstein and her brother, “I think we have a very, very easy on our end, simple way to very likely get her to just shut up and leave us alone.”

Later that year, according to the indictment, Joseph Attar allegedly met with the man with whom the former consultant was having an affair. He told him to tell the former consultant to “leave Dalya alone” and “stay out of this election.”

In June 2022, Joseph Attar allegedly told the former consultant, “You have nothing to worry about if you accept my offer.”