Former GOP congressional staffer charged with staging fake violent political attack on herself

A former GOP congressional staffer for New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew has been charged with staging a fake violent political attack on herself.

A 26-year-old New Jersey woman, Natalie Greene, allegedly staged a fake political attack that included writing and scarring on her body, NBC News reported.

Greene made her initial court appearance on 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 has 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,” a Van Drew spokesperson said in a statement.

On July 23, a female co-conspirator called 911 and said that "three guys just attacked us" while she and Greene were walking along a nature preserve trail in New Jersey, according to the criminal complaint.

"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, noting 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 were both zip-tied together. Police said she was crying and screaming that one of the alleged attackers “has a gun” and threatened to shoot her, according to the complaint.

Greene's shirt had been pulled over her head and secured with a zip-tie, and the words “TRUMP WHORE” were written across her stomach, with another message that said Van Drew "IS RACIST” on her back, per the complaint.

She later told law enforcement officials that her attackers had hit 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 found 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.

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 said. They also discovered that two days before the attack, the phone of Greene’s alleged co-conspirator had been used to search for “zip ties near me.”

She was released on a $200,000 unsecured bond and other conditions.