Federal prosecutors unsealed charges against Maryland State Senator Dalya Attar on Thursday, accusing the Baltimore Democrat of masterminding a plot to blackmail a former campaign consultant with secretly recorded footage of a sexual encounter. Attar, along with her brother Joseph Attar and Baltimore police officer Kalman Finkelstein, faces multiple counts of extortion and conspiracy in what authorities describe as a calculated effort to muzzle political criticism.
The scheme unfolded after a fallout during Attar’s 2018 bid for the Maryland House of Delegates, where the consultant—referred to as Victim 1 in court documents—had worked as a paid advisor. Tensions escalated when the consultant began voicing opposition to Attar’s candidacy. In January 2020, hidden cameras disguised as smoke detectors captured Victim 1 in bed with a married man, Victim 2, at an apartment linked to Finkelstein’s family.
Court filings reveal Joseph Attar confronted Victim 2 in 2021, demanding silence about Attar’s campaign. “Here’s what I need you to do for this to go away permanently … So, the only thing you need to do is very simple, is go to [Victim 1] and say to her, listen, leave Dalya alone. Don’t bring her up anymore to anyone. Stay out of this election, the Delegate election. And make sure she doesn’t do anything against Dalya throughout this election … or I’ll share this video with everybody you know, everyone she knows, every Rabbi in town, your kids, your wife, her daughters.” He added, “I have all her daughters’ numbers in the phone if you want to see that too, right? I already have all her daughters’ phone numbers, right? And every shadchan in Israel who is trying to set up her daughters, I’ll share these videos with.”
Prosecutors allege the threats targeted the Orthodox Jewish community in Attar’s district, aiming to prevent the consultant from discussing Attar’s voting record. A WhatsApp message from Dalya Attar noted, “She wants her daughters to get married more than she wants to screw me.” The indictment includes eight counts, such as extortion via interstate communications and illegal wire interception.
Attar, who was appointed to the Senate earlier this year to fill a vacancy, denied direct involvement. She called the accusations the work of a “former disgruntled employee” and stated, “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,” she added, vowing to continue serving her community.
This case exposes the lengths some politicians will go to protect their power, raising questions about accountability in Democrat-led circles. With a police officer implicated, it fuels suspicions of insider networks shielding elected officials from scrutiny. Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson responded, “This is the first we have been made aware of state Senator Dalya Attar’s arrest and we don’t have any additional information to provide at this time.” As the story develops, voters deserve transparency on how such tactics might influence elections.
