A New Jersey woman who worked as a congressional staffer for Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., has been charged in connection with staging a fake political attack that included writing and scarring on her body.
Natalie Greene, 26, made her initial court appearance Wednesday on charges that include one count of conspiracy to convey false statements and hoaxes and one count of making false statements to federal law enforcement in connection with a staged attack.
Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
“We are deeply saddened by today’s news, and while Natalie is no longer associated with the Congressman’s government office, our thoughts and prayers are with her. We hope she’s getting the care she needs,” Van Drew spokesperson Paxton Antonucci said in a statement.
According to the criminal complaint, on July 23 a female co-conspirator called 911 and claimed "three guys just attacked us" while she and Greene were walking along a trail at a nature preserve in New Jersey.
"They were attacking her. They were like talking about politics and stuff. They were like calling her names," the co-conspirator allegedly told the 911 operator, adding that the attackers had referred to Greene and her work for Van Drew.
Egg Harbor Township Police found Greene with cuts on her face and upper body and her hands and feet both zip-tied together and said she was screaming through tears that one of the alleged attackers “has a gun” and had threatened to shoot her, according to the complaint.
Greene's shirt had been pulled over her head and secured with a zip-tie, the complaint says, and the words “TRUMP WHORE” were written across her stomach, with another message that said Van Drew "IS RACIST” etched across her back.
Greene later told law enforcement officials that her attackers had struck her in the head, held her down, used a sharp object to cut her and written the messages found on her body, court documents said.
An investigation revealed that Greene had paid an artist specializing in scarification to use a scalpel to lacerate parts of her body in a pattern that she directed ahead of the incident, according to the complaint.
Investigators said black zip ties were found in Greene’s car on the night of the alleged attack that resembled the ones used to restrain her.
Investigators also found that two days before the attack, the phone of Greene’s alleged co-conspirator had been used to search for “zip ties near me.”
Greene was released on a $200,000 unsecured bond and additional conditions.
