Natalie Greene who once 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.
The 26 year old, Rutgers law student claimed in July that she was brutally assaulted because she worked for Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Ocean City); instead, she orchestrated the entire incident. Greene allegedly drove to Pennsylvania and paid a body-modification artist $500 to carve the wounds on her face, neck, and upper body, using a pattern she had provided in advance. She then stage the ‘crime’ scene with zip ties and had “Trump Whore” written on her stomach and “Van Drew is a racist” on her back, federal prosecutors stated.
Several days later, after receiving medical treatment for her wounds, Greene was again asked to describe her alleged attack to law enforcement officers, including an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Interviews of Greene and the co-conspirator did not match.
Investigators used cell tower locations to obtain video footage and evidence that she went to a Dollar Store in Ventnor to purchase zip ties.
Greene appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Pascal earlier today and was charged with one count of conspiracy to convey false statements and hoaxes and one count of making false statements to federal law enforcement, according to Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba. She was released on a $200,000 unsecured bond.