A Democrat state senator from Maryland is facing explosive federal charges after prosecutors accused her of secretly recording two critics during an intimate encounter and using the footage to threaten and silence them.
According to a newly unsealed federal indictment, State Sen. Dalya Attar, her brother Joseph “Yossi” Attar, and Baltimore Police Officer Kalman Finkelstein conspired to blackmail two individuals with secretly recorded footage taken inside a private residence.
The victims included a former campaign consultant.
The 20-page indictment, unsealed Thursday, charges the trio with conspiracy, extortion, illegal wiretapping, and violations of the Travel Act.
Prosecutors: Attar Sought to Silence Critics With Hidden Cameras
Federal prosecutors allege the group targeted “Victim 1,” a former consultant for Attar’s 2018 campaign who later supported her political rivals.
“Victim 2” was romantically involved with Victim 1 and married to someone else at the time.
According to the indictment, the defendants planted hidden cameras disguised as smoke detectors and installed a tracking device inside the victims’ apartment, later reviewing video footage showing the pair in bed together.
The recording was allegedly used as leverage to intimidate both victims into keeping quiet about Attar or her political activities.
By early 2021, Attar allegedly discussed the scheme on WhatsApp, writing:
“We have a very easy … simple way to get her to just shut up and leave us alone. …
“She’s worried about her kids’ shidduchim.”
She allegedly continued:
“I’m not saying we leak this anywhere or ever do that … but I’m saying we warn her … ‘If you go ahead and screw with me, we’re going to leak it.’”
Threats Escalated Ahead of Re-Election Campaign
In December 2021, Joseph Attar allegedly confronted one of the victims in a Baltimore shopping center and made a direct threat:
“I have hours of footage of you in bed with [Victim 1] …
“Go to [Victim 1] and say leave Dalya alone … or I’ll share this video with everyone you know — every Rabbi in town, your kids, your wife, her daughters.”
Prosecutors say the threats continued through 2022 as the defendants sought to suppress potential criticism before Attar’s re-election bid.
The indictment also states that the trio coordinated via encrypted WhatsApp messages that they regularly deleted to conceal their activity.
If convicted, the defendants could face decades in federal prison.
Fallout: Police Officer on Leave, Attar’s Political Future in Doubt
Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley told FOX 45 that Officer Finkelstein has been on administrative duty since 2022 and “no longer holds police powers.”
Dalya Attar, a Democrat and former Baltimore prosecutor, was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2018 before being appointed to the state Senate in January 2025.
She had been regarded as a rising figure in Maryland’s Orthodox Jewish community prior to the indictment.
The charges mark a stunning fall for a lawmaker once celebrated for breaking barriers in Baltimore politics and now accused of weaponizing surveillance, intimidation, and blackmail against her own critics.
READ MORE – Fetterman Apologizes to the American People for the Democrat Shutdown: ‘I’m Sorry’
Our comment section is restricted to members of the Slay News community only.
To join, create a free account HERE.
If you are already a member, log in HERE.