When a sitting state senator, her brother, and a police officer allegedly plotted a blackmail scheme with hidden cameras and threats, the boundaries of political gamesmanship in Maryland exploded—leaving a community stunned and a national audience wondering just how far power can warp decency.
Story Snapshot
- Federal indictment alleges Maryland State Senator Dalya Attar, her brother, and a Baltimore officer conspired to blackmail a political rival using illicit surveillance.
- The scheme targeted a former campaign consultant who threatened to expose Attar’s voting record in the Orthodox Jewish community.
- This case marks the first known instance of a Maryland senator indicted for blackmail involving covert video and law enforcement collusion.
- The fallout could reshape public trust in local politics, campaign ethics, and the relationship between law enforcement and elected officials.
Secret Surveillance, Political Ambition, and a Baltimore Power Play
Federal prosecutors allege that Maryland State Senator Dalya Attar, an Orthodox Jewish Democrat representing Baltimore, orchestrated a blackmail plot so elaborate it reads like a rejected Hollywood script. At its core: bedroom cameras, a political grudge, and a desperate effort to silence a former ally before a contentious re-election. Attar, her brother Joseph, and Baltimore police officer Kalman Finkelstein now face federal charges, accused of secretly recording a political consultant in a compromising affair and using that footage as leverage to stifle criticism. What began as a simmering feud inside a tightly knit community erupted into one of the most sensational scandals in recent Maryland history.
According to investigators, the origins of this saga trace back to 2018, when Attar first won election with the help of the very consultant she’s now accused of targeting. By 2020, that alliance had turned sour. The consultant, critical of Attar’s voting record—especially on issues sensitive within the Orthodox Jewish community—became a thorn in her political side. Taking advantage of the consultant’s temporary stay in an apartment owned by Finkelstein’s family, Joseph Attar and the police officer allegedly installed covert cameras, disguised as smoke detectors, and even placed a tracking device on the consultant’s car. The intent, prosecutors claim, was clear: get damning footage, then leverage it for silence.
From Political Rivalry to Federal Courtroom
The alleged scheme escalated in March 2021 when Joseph Attar confronted both the consultant and the married man caught on video, threatening public exposure unless the consultant stopped attacking Attar. By late 2021, as Attar prepared to file for re-election, internal messages reveal her discussing the potential “usefulness” of the illicit video with her co-conspirators. Once the threats began, federal investigators took notice. Finkelstein was suspended from the police department as the probe unfolded, and by October 2025, indictments were unsealed, sending shockwaves through Maryland’s political class. The accused were released under strict conditions, including the surrender of their passports, as the investigation moved forward.
Dalya Attar, once celebrated as the first Orthodox Jewish woman in the Maryland Senate, now faces a courtroom drama that will test not just her career, but the integrity of the institutions she represents. Her brother and Finkelstein, both accused of enabling and executing the scheme, add layers of complexity: a family entangled in scandal and a police officer allegedly using his access for political ends. The consultant, once a trusted campaign operative, is now cast as both whistleblower and victim. The married man, collateral damage in a high-stakes gambit, faces his own public reckoning. Each character’s motivations—loyalty, ambition, fear, or revenge—reflect the combustible mix of personal and political stakes at play.
The Ripple Effect: Ethics, Trust, and the Future of Maryland Politics
Baltimore’s Orthodox Jewish community, already divided by political and religious tensions, now finds itself under an unflinching spotlight. The Maryland Senate, eager to distance itself, has emphasized its commitment to ethical standards and accountability. Law enforcement, too, is grappling with Finkelstein’s alleged role, raising uncomfortable questions about police involvement in political dirty tricks. The victims—both personal and public—face embarrassment and distress, while Attar’s defenders and detractors wage a parallel battle for narrative control in the court of public opinion.
Legal experts predict harsh consequences if the facts alleged in the indictment are proven, underscoring the severity of abusing both political and police power. Political analysts point to the case as a rare, almost unprecedented, example of blackmail entwined with law enforcement in state politics. Calls for reform are mounting: stricter campaign ethics, tighter rules on surveillance, and greater transparency in political operations. What happens next may well determine whether Maryland’s political culture can recover its credibility or if this scandal will become a permanent cautionary tale about ambition unchecked by integrity.
