A Maryland state senator has been indicted on federal extortion and conspiracy charges for an alleged scheme involving the unauthorized recording of a political critic “in bed” with a married man. State Sen. Dalya Attar, a Democrat, faces eight counts of criminal activity, including planting tracking and recording devices on two individuals to silence them.

The 35-year-old, who became the first Orthodox Jewish woman elected to the Maryland Senate in January, was charged alongside her brother, Joseph Attar, and a Baltimore police officer involved in her campaign, both facing eight counts. Court documents reveal that the victims included a political consultant who was filmed in bed with a married man, as well as another individual linked to the senator’s 2018 election cycle.

Prosecutors allege that Attar collaborated with four unnamed co-conspirators to execute the scheme. In early 2020, her brother and a police officer allegedly broke into an apartment owned by a family of one of the victims, installing cameras disguised as smoke detectors and placing a tracking device on the consultant’s vehicle.

In March 2021, Attar’s brother reportedly threatened the consultant and a married man with the release of compromising video unless the consultant “left Dalya alone.” The indictment states that Attar later sent messages suggesting the victim “needs to be warned” before further damage to her campaign could occur. A leaked message from Attar read, “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.”

Attar’s brother allegedly met with the married man in December 2021, showing him the recorded footage and urging him to convince the consultant to abandon efforts against the senator. In June 2022, the brother sent WhatsApp messages to the consultant, demanding she “leave my family alone and nothing will ever come out,” according to the indictment.

In a public statement, Attar denied knowledge of any illegal actions taken on her behalf, stating, “I would never do anything to knowingly jeopardize my constituents’ trust in me.” She pledged to “share my side of the story” and continue serving her community “with humility and honor.”

The 20-page indictment details a multiyear plot to obtain and leverage the secret recordings, with prosecutors accusing Attar of orchestrating efforts to extort the consultant. The case centers on allegations involving the senator’s former employee, though no tangible evidence has been presented to confirm her direct involvement.