Maryland State Senator Indicted on Racketeering Charges
Maryland’s Democratic state Senator Dahlia Attar has been indicted on racketeering and conspiracy charges, as revealed in court documents made public on Thursday. Alongside her, two others face similar charges, including her brother and a police officer from Baltimore.
The indictment alleges that the trio was involved in a scheme against a former political consultant who had once run for Attar’s seat in the 2018 Maryland House of Representatives. The evidence suggests that they used concealed cameras to record explicit moments involving the consultant and a married individual, subsequently pressuring him to remain silent regarding his candidacy.
The document notes, “Victim 1 was a paid political consultant to Dahlia Attar during her campaign for the 2018 Maryland State Delegate election. Shortly before the election, Victim 1’s participation was ended due to a disagreement, and he was known not to support Attar’s campaign afterward.”
As highlighted in the unsealed indictment, a hidden camera was allegedly placed in a smoke detector to capture a sexual encounter in January 2020. Attar’s brother reportedly broke into a relative’s apartment of the police officer to install this camera.
The purpose of this plot, as stated in the indictment, was to covertly gather evidence of the relationship between Victim 1 and another individual and to use this evidence against the consultant in a way that could jeopardize Attar’s political aspirations. The document claims they intended to prevent any actions that could potentially harm her campaign during the 2022 Maryland State Delegate election.
In 2021, Attar’s brother allegedly met with the mistress and advised the consultant to stay quiet and avoid supporting Attar’s opponents. Following a critical post by the consultant on Facebook, Attar’s brother supposedly threatened to release the recorded video, implying it could negatively impact the children’s future opportunities.
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson expressed the uncertainty surrounding this case in his statement, saying, “This is the first time we have learned of the arrest of State Senator Dahlia Attar, and we have no further information at this time.”
