Maryland State Senator Dalya Attar, a Democrat once hailed as a rising star, is now at the center of a jaw-dropping federal indictment for allegedly spying on critics with hidden cameras.
This scandal, involving Attar, her brother Joseph "Yossi" Attar, and Baltimore Police Officer Kalman Finkelstein, accuses the trio of conspiracy, extortion, illegal wiretapping, and breaking the Travel Act by secretly recording two individuals to silence opposition ahead of Attar’s political campaigns.
Let’s rewind to the beginning: Attar, elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2018 and later appointed to the state Senate in early 2025, built a reputation as a prominent figure in Maryland’s Orthodox Jewish community. But behind the polished image, prosecutors allege a sinister plot unfolded. A 20-page federal indictment, unsealed on October 30, 2025, lays out the shocking claims against her and her co-defendants.
The targets of this alleged scheme were two individuals, referred to as Victim 1 and Victim 2 in the indictment. Victim 1, a former campaign consultant for Attar’s 2018 run, later switched sides to back her political rivals, while Victim 2, romantically involved with Victim 1, was married to someone else at the time.
According to the charges, the defendants went full spy-movie, planting hidden cameras disguised as smoke detectors and even a tracking device in the victims’ apartment. They allegedly captured intimate footage of the pair in bed together. It’s the kind of invasion of privacy that makes Big Brother look like a nosy neighbor.
This wasn’t just voyeurism for kicks, though—prosecutors say the trio weaponized the recordings to blackmail the victims into silence. The goal? To stop any public criticism or support for Attar’s opponents as her re-election campaign loomed.
The threats didn’t stop at mere possession of the footage; they escalated into confrontations. In December 2021, Joseph Attar allegedly met one of the victims at a Baltimore shopping center to deliver a chilling ultimatum.
As the indictment details, Joseph Attar reportedly warned, “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.” Talk about a low blow—using personal lives as leverage reeks of desperation, not leadership.
Even more damning, Dalya Attar herself allegedly plotted the coercion via encrypted WhatsApp messages, which the group regularly deleted to cover their tracks. In early 2021, she reportedly wrote, “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.”
Attar’s alleged follow-up message is just as cold: “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.’” If true, this isn’t just politics as usual—it’s a betrayal of trust that undermines the very idea of public service. How can constituents feel safe with a leader willing to play such dirty games?
These intimidation tactics reportedly continued into 2022, ensuring the victims stayed quiet as Attar geared up for her re-election bid. It’s a stark reminder that power, unchecked, can lead to actions far removed from the values of accountability conservatives hold dear.
Meanwhile, Officer Kalman Finkelstein, the third player in this troubling trio, has been sidelined on administrative duty since 2022, stripped of police powers, as confirmed by Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley. If a law enforcement officer is complicit in such schemes, it shakes public confidence in those sworn to protect us.
The potential fallout for Attar and her co-defendants is severe, with charges carrying penalties of several decades behind bars. While Attar’s office has stayed mum on the allegations, declining to comment to media inquiries, the silence speaks volumes in a case this explosive.
From a conservative lens, this story isn’t just about one politician’s missteps—it’s a cautionary tale against the progressive tendency to prioritize power over principle. Without naming names or casting broad nets, let’s just say that when personal ethics are sacrificed for political gain, everyone loses.
At the end of the day, Maryland voters deserve representatives who fight fair, not those who allegedly resort to shadowy tactics to silence dissent. If these charges hold up in court, Attar’s fall from grace could serve as a sobering lesson: no office is worth betraying the public’s trust. Let’s hope justice prevails, whatever the outcome.
