BALTIMORE, Oct. 31, 2025: (Dalya Attar Blackmail Scandal) She was the shining star of American politics—a 35-year-old Orthodox Jewish woman who shattered glass ceilings to become Maryland’s first-ever Orthodox female state senator. But overnight, Dalya Attar’s meteoric career has been plunged into darkness by a federal indictment alleging she conspired with her brother and a Baltimore cop to blackmail a former campaign consultant with a secret sex tape. Is this a vicious political hit job, or the toxic fallout of unchecked ambition? Dive into the jaw-dropping saga of a history-maker whose inspiring biography now collides with federal crime.
She was born on October 17, 1990, in Baltimore, Maryland. Dalya Attar was the fourth of six kids in a tight-knit Sephardic Orthodox Jewish household. Her dad traced roots to Iranian Jews; her mom to Moroccan Jews. Growing up in Northwest Baltimore’s Jewish enclave, Attar attended the all-girls Bais Yaakov School, where she first developed a passion for criminal justice. High-school politics hooked her hard. Her heroes? Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, Jewish education pioneer Sarah Schenirer, and activist Karen Chaya Friedman. Little did anyone know that those early sparks of ambition would one day ignite a federal firestorm.
CATEGORY
DETAILS
Full Name
Dalya Attar
Age (as of Oct 2025)
35
Current Title
Maryland State Senator (District 41)
Historic Firsts
• First Orthodox Jewish woman elected to Maryland General Assembly • Highest-ranking Orthodox Jewish woman in U.S. history
Political Party
Democrat
Appointed to Senate
January 24, 2025 (by Gov. Wes Moore)
Previous Role
Maryland House of Delegates (2019–2025)
Education
• B.S. Criminal Justice – University of Baltimore (2011) • J.D. – University of Maryland School of Law (2014)
Prior Career
Assistant State’s Attorney, Baltimore City (2015–2018)
Married to Assaf Mehrzadi; 2 children; Brother Jay Attar (developer)
Hometown
Baltimore, Maryland
Current Status
Under federal indictment (Oct 30, 2025) – extortion & conspiracy
Education & Career: From Courtroom Warrior to Political Powerhouse
Attar earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Baltimore in 2011, then a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2014. While in law school, she cut her teeth as a paralegal at Greenspan, Hitzel & Schrader. In 2015, she joined the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office as an Assistant State’s Attorney, prosecuting drug and gun cases with courtroom swagger. She racked up convictions like trophies—but who knew the skills she honed putting criminals away would later be turned against her?
Political Rocket Ride: Making History, One First at a Time
In 2017, Attar jumped into the race for the Maryland House of Delegates (District 41). Her platform: economic growth, better schools, juvenile justice reform. She crushed the June 2018 Democratic primary, toppling incumbents Angela Gibson and Bilal Ali. Sworn in January 9, 2019, she became the first Orthodox Jew ever elected to the Maryland General Assembly—and the highest-ranking Orthodox Jewish woman in U.S. history.
She served on the Environment & Transportation Committee (2019–2020), then Ways & Means until 2025. When State Sen. Jill P. Carter resigned, Baltimore’s Democratic Central Committee picked Attar 5–3 to replace her. Gov. Wes Moore appointed her on January 24, 2025. At 34, she was the youngest senator in Annapolis. Married to childhood friend Assaf Mehrzadi, mother of two, big brother Jay Attar, a local developer—everything looked picture-perfect. Until it wasn’t.
Cue the federal hammer. On October 30, 2025, an eight-count indictment dropped in U.S. District Court, charging Attar, her brother Jay, and a Baltimore City police officer with extortion and conspiracy. Prosecutors say the trio secretly recorded a former 2018 campaign consultant in bed with a man, then threatened to leak the tape during Attar’s 2022 reelection bid to silence the consultant from speaking out.
The feds call it a “calculated scheme” to crush political enemies. All three are in federal custody. Attar refuses to resign, vowing, “I will tell my story, and the truth will prevail.” Pundits are calling it “Maryland’s biggest political scandal in decades.” Will her empire crumble, or is this a smear against a rising star?
The Verdict: Inspiration or Infamy?
Dalya Attar’s journey—from Orthodox girl to Senate powerhouse—inspires millions. But this sex-tape blackmail saga raises brutal questions: Does morality still matter in politics? As the investigation heats up, America waits. Acquittal or downfall? One thing’s certain—this scandal will stain U.S. political history for years.
My name is Dr Santosh Kumar Sain and I am a Government Teacher. I am fond of writing and through this blog I will introduce you to the biographies of famous women.
