State Sen. Dalya Attar claims the federal blackmail charges against her, her brother and a Baltimore Police officer are a fiction concocted by a disgruntled former campaign employee, and that, actually, she was the target of “extortion, threats, harassment and stalking.”

The 20-page indictment unsealed Thursday detailed an elaborate, clandestine scheme where Attar and company are alleged to have illicitly tracked a former political consultant’s whereabouts and surreptitiously filmed the consultant in bed with a married man as part of an effort to prevent the consultant from working against Attar in future elections.

All three made their first appearances in court Thursday. Only Attar gave an initial statement, in which she maintained her innocence but said little else.

Then, on Friday, the Democratic lawmaker gave more details of her side of the story in a lengthier statement posted to the Baltimore Scoop, a Facebook page that serves the area’s Jewish community. Attar is believed to be the first and only Orthodox Jewish woman ever elected to the state legislature.

A spokesperson for Attar confirmed the statement’s authenticity; neither Attar nor her attorneys returned requests for comment.

In it, Attar, an attorney and former prosecutor, admits to some of the conduct alleged by federal prosecutors but says it was legal. Yes, she wrote, she did have the consultant followed. And, yes, her family did capture a video of the consultant.

But it’s not what it seems, Attar wrote.

“I want to assure you that the media stories do not capture what really happened,” Attar said.

According to the senator, the consultant was a “disgruntled woman” whom she fired from her first campaign in 2018 “for cause.” Attar does not state why.

“I wish I had known this woman’s true character when I made the mistake of hiring her,” Attar wrote. She alleged the woman sent her a text message after being fired that said “Beware. When you least expect it, expect it. Goodbye. This is my final warning.”

The next six years were a “nightmare,” Attar wrote. Though the feds charged her with extortion, it was the consultant who was extorting, harassing, threatening and stalking her and people close to her, Attar claimed.

“I feared for my family’s safety, so much so that my family had her followed when she visited Baltimore to make sure she stayed away from me. As a result we discovered she was engaging in an inappropriate relationship with another person from our community,” Attar wrote.

Attar went on to talk about the video, which she claims was “taken publicly,” and therefore is “legal and cannot be the subject of an extortion charge.”

Prosecutors in Attar’s indictment claim her brother, Joseph Attar, and Baltimore Police Officer Kalman Finkelstein entered an apartment the consultant was staying in during a January 2020 visit to Baltimore and installed cameras disguised as smoke detectors.

The indictment states that Attar and her brother, along with an unnamed, unindicted co-conspirator, messaged each other on WhatsApp to figure out a plan to threaten the consultant with the video.

In her statement, Attar did not deny holding a video over the consultant’s head.

“Feeling desperate to protect my family, the message was conveyed to the woman that we had a legally obtained video and the six-year long harassment campaign must stop. I met with this woman to plead with her to leave me and my family alone,” Attar wrote.

However, Attar said the woman didn’t stop and instead concocted the story that ultimately led to the federal indictment.

“All lies,” Attar wrote of the charges.

The indictment cites a series of messages between Attar, her brother and others about installing the cameras and figuring out how to best confront both the woman and her romantic partner.

As to the woman’s supposed demands, which are not specified, Attar wrote that she’s followed “rabbinical and legal guidance” not to give in.

“I’m sure the false attacks will get louder before I am able to clear my name, but I am confident the truth will be the arbiter of justice,” Attar wrote.

Read Attar’s letter

Baltimore Scoop posted this letter from Maryland state Sen. Dalya Attar on Facebook on Oct. 31, 2025. As of Nov. 3, 2025 the post had been deleted:

*Letter to the Baltimore Community from Senator Dalya Attar*

Dear Baltimore Community,

I ran for state senate to be a voice for our Baltimore Jewish community and have always strived to do the right thing even when it is difficult. I would never do anything to knowingly jeopardize the trust you have placed in me.

By now, I’m sure you have all read the lurid news stories about my charges. I want to assure you that the media stories do not capture what really happened.

The case centers on the allegations of a disgruntled woman from our community that I fired from my first campaign for cause. She has a history of instability with restraining orders filed against her.

I wish I had known this woman’s true character when I made the mistake of hiring her. Shortly after I ended her contract, she sent a text message that said, “Beware. When you least expect it, expect it. Goodbye. This is my final warning.”

What followed was a six-year nightmare that included extortion, harassment, threats, and stalking me and people close to me. I feared for my family’s safety, so much so that my family had her followed when she visited Baltimore to make sure she stayed away from me.

As a result, we discovered that she was engaging in an inappropriate relationship with another person from our community.

The video in question was taken publicly, which is legal and cannot be the subject of an extortion charge. That’s it. Feeling desperate to protect my family, the message was conveyed to the woman that we had a legally obtained video and the six-year long harassment campaign must stop. I met with this woman to plead with her to leave me and my family alone.

Instead, the woman went to law enforcement and falsely accused me and my family of illegally recording them and attempting to extort them for money—all lies.

Rabbinical and legal guidance have strongly recommended that I refuse to give in to this woman’s demands and harassment. They urged me to continue my work for the community and fight back. I am reminded daily that the work I’m doing for our community is bigger than one person.

I’m sure the false attacks will get louder before I am able to clear my name, but I am confident the truth will be the arbiter of justice.

My very best,

Dalya Attar