Maryland has a long and storied history of political scandal.

Mayors of Baltimore have made national news for their self-dealing. In Annapolis, it’s a semi-common occurrence for personal missteps by lawmakers to make headlines. Even Spiro T. Agnew fell victim to the siren’s call of corruption, resigning as vice president of the United States when he pleaded no contest to a federal charge of tax evasion for bribes he received as Maryland’s governor.

But rarely are the tales of politicians’ wrongdoing as full of salacious details as the alleged blackmail scheme outlined by federal prosecutors involving state Sen. Dalya Attar, her real estate developer brother, Joseph, and Baltimore Police Officer Kalman Finkelstein, who’s known as a political operator with relationships across the political spectrum.

The cloak-and-dagger plot in the 20-page indictment reads like a spy novel, complete with GPS trackers and cameras disguised as smoke detectors. In it, the federal government claims the Attars and Finkelstein surreptitiously recorded one of Dalya Attar’s former political consultants in bed with a married man.

Worried the consultant could hamper the lawmaker’s political prospects, Attar and her associates held that video over the woman’s head, threatening to release it and destroy her life if she ever spoke a bad word about or worked against Attar again, prosecutors allege.

Attar’s attorney, A. Jeff Ifrah, said the senator will fight the charges but signaled that he hopes the case will be resolved before trial. In her own statement, Attar said she hadn’t seen “tangible evidence” to support the claims that she knew of the alleged blackmail scheme.

“I ran for public office because of my strong belief in serving my community that I love, and I would never do anything to knowingly jeopardize my constituents’ trust in me,” Attar said.

The reactions of her colleagues in Annapolis, along with members of Baltimore’s Jewish community, were muted if nonexistent. Virtually no one connected to the defendants or to politics in general would comment on the record.

Senate President Bill Ferguson, like Attar a Baltimore Democrat, said in a statement he was learning more about the charges and noted the “highest ethical standards” that senators are held to.

Del. Malcolm Ruff, who is challenging Attar in next year’s election, said in a statement that the allegations are concerning but added little more, only that he’ll remain focused on his own campaign.

Attar is celebrated for her accomplishments as a rare young, Orthodox Jewish woman in elected office — she’s believed to be the only to serve in both the House of Delegates and the state Senate — but the shocking nature of these charges could land her in political peril.

“It’s important to note that Maryland has never had an elected Orthodox Jewish official in the General Assembly, which makes my journey even more significant in terms of representation. I felt a deep calling to step up and make a difference, not just in the courtroom but in the political arena as well,” Attar said in an interview with The Baltimore Jewish Times this year.

Attar, who recently turned 35, holds the tongue-in-cheek position of “baby senator.” This year, she accepted a trophy bestowed on the youngest member of the chamber, granted by the last baby senator, now-U.S. Rep. Sarah Elfreth.

A former prosecutor in the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office who is a lawyer in private practice, Attar began her career in elected office by winning a seat representing Baltimore’s 41st District in the House of Delegates in 2018. She was reelected in 2022 with the highest vote total among the three winners in the district, a point of pride.

“That shows that the voters in the district believe in me, believe in my work, believe in my passion,” Attar said in August.

Attar was appointed to the Senate in January after Jill P. Carter resigned to take a position on the state’s Board of Contract Appeals. Attar beat out her colleague Ruff on a vote by the city’s Democratic Party and was appointed to the seat by Gov. Wes Moore.

In Annapolis, she’s advocated publicly for the communities surrounding Pimlico Race Course, which sits in her district. As the state launched a plan to take ownership of the track and renovate it, Attar pushed for funding for nearby neighborhoods that have struggled from historic disinvestment.

By the time the legislature convenes its next session — scheduled for January — senators will weigh whether to take disciplinary action against Attar or wait for the criminal case to play out.

The Maryland Constitution allows each chamber of the General Assembly to expel a member by a two-thirds vote. Lawmakers can opt for lesser forms of punishment, such as a vote to publicly censure or reprimand her. Such expulsions are rare but not unheard of.

In 1998, senators voted to expel Sen. Larry Young, a Baltimore Democrat who was accused of misusing his office to steer funding to his private business. Young, who is Black, was ousted on a dramatic vote that fell largely along racial lines.

Young was acquitted of criminal bribery and tax evasion charges, and he went on to a career as a radio host.

More commonly, lawmakers who’ve found themselves in hot water will resign rather than having their colleagues vote.

Sen. Nathaniel T. Oaks was charged in 2017 on federal counts of fraud and resigned in 2018 just before he entered a plea agreement. Among those who counseled the Baltimore Democrat in the final hours before his resignation: Larry Young.

In fall 2019, Del. Tawanna P. Gaines, a Prince George’s County Democrat, resigned just before she was charged with federal wire fraud for allegedly spending $22,000 of campaign funds on personal expenses, including hairstyling and a swimming pool cover.

Two months later, Del. Cheryl Glenn, a Baltimore Democrat, resigned before she was charged with bribery and wire fraud. Prosecutors alleged she solicited and accepted bribes from cannabis companies.

Oaks, Gaines and Glenn all pleaded guilty to some charges.

Although her legal fate is uncertain, Attar gave no indication Thursday that she planned to do anything other than continue in her post.

“I look forward to sharing my side of the story, and believe the truth will be the arbiter of justice,” she said in a statement. “In the meantime, I will continue to serve my community with humility and honor, and look forward to being as transparent as possible.”