Another scandal is rocking Maryland politics — this time involving Democrat State Senator Dalya Attar of Baltimore, who now faces federal extortion and conspiracy charges.
According to a newly unsealed indictment, Attar, her brother Joseph Attar, and Baltimore Police Officer Kalman Finkelstein allegedly worked together to blackmail and silence a political opponent ahead of the 2022 election. Prosecutors say the trio secretly planted recording devices in an apartment where the target — a political consultant critical of Attar — was staying, then captured private footage intended for leverage.
At the time, Attar served in the Maryland House of Delegates, positioning herself as a public servant fighting for integrity and justice. Federal investigators now allege she was doing the opposite — weaponizing law enforcement connections to intimidate critics and protect her political career.
Neither Attar nor the others named have commented publicly. The Baltimore Police Department also declined to respond regarding the officer’s alleged role.
The accusations raise serious questions about corruption and political privilege within Maryland’s one-party-dominated system. Democrats currently hold overwhelming control across state government, yet incidents like this continue to surface — from city hall scandals to police misconduct intertwined with politics.
If convicted, Attar could face prison time and removal from office. More importantly, Marylanders are once again reminded that unchecked political power breeds corruption, and real accountability rarely comes from within.
Federal prosecutors say the alleged blackmail scheme involving Maryland State Senator Dalya Attar began in January 2020, when a political consultant stayed in an apartment owned by the family of Baltimore Police Officer Kalman Finkelstein.
According to the indictment, Finkelstein and Joseph Attar, the senator’s brother, broke into the apartment while the consultant was away. The two men then installed hidden cameras disguised as smoke detectors and placed a tracking device on the consultant’s vehicle.
In March 2021, prosecutors allege that Dalya Attar instructed her brother to threaten both the consultant and another individual involved — a married man — with the release of the secretly recorded footage unless the consultant agreed to “leave Dalya alone.”
Later that year, in November 2021, Attar reportedly messaged her brother and another co-conspirator, writing that “if the video really exists, it’ll be really helpful now.”
On December 6, 2021, the same day Attar officially filed for re-election to the Maryland House of Delegates, her brother allegedly contacted the married man to “discuss an opportunity.” He is accused of claiming to have “hours” of footage showing the man and the consultant together, and threatening to share it “with everyone you know, everyone she knows, every Rabbi in town, your kids, your wife, her daughters.”
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson’s office released a brief statement Thursday, saying:
“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.”
Ferguson added that the Senate “holds its members to the highest ethical standards” and will continue to do so as more information becomes available.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley also addressed the indictment involving Officer Finkelstein on Thursday, saying the department is cooperating with federal investigators and will “take appropriate action as the case develops.”
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