Who is Natalie Greene, former GOP congressional staffer charged with staging ‘Anti-Trump’ attack on herself?

26-year-old Greene was a student at Rutgers Law School and started working for Drew’s office as a constituent advocate director in 2022. A spokesperson for Van Drew’s office stated Greene is no longer associated with the office.

What Natalie Greene claimed

According to the Attorney’s Office, on July 23, a female co-conspirator called 911 and claimed “three guys just attacked us.” The 911 caller claimed that they were attacked by three men with a gun at the Egg Harbor Township Nature Reserve.

“They were attacking her. They were like talking about politics and stuff. They were like calling her names,” the caller said.

Upon arriving at the spot, Egg Harbor Township Police found Greene in a wooded area bound with zip ties and lacerations on her head and chest.

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.

Paid body modification artist to stage attack

However, during the investigation, it emerged that Green was not attacked by anyone.

Greene had paid a body modification artist to deliberately cut the lacerations on her face, neck, upper chest, and shoulder, based on a pattern that she had provided beforehand.

What investigators found

Law enforcement officers recovered black zip ties in Greene’s car on the night of the alleged attack, similar to the zip ties that had been used to bind Greene’s arms and feet. Also, the investigation revealed that two days prior to the alleged attack, the cellphone of Greene’s co-conspirator had been used to search “zip ties near me.”

Could face five years in jail

Greene, who made her initial appearance on Wednesday, was released on a $200,000 unsecured bond.

If convicted on the count of conspiracy, Greene could face a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of 3 years of supervised release. On the count of false statements, she could face a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of 3 years of supervised release.

What Natalie Greene’s lawyer said

Greene’s attorney, Louis Barbone, told ABC News she is innocent until proven guilty.

“At the age of 26, my client served her community working full-time to assist the constituents of the Congressman with loyalty and fidelity. She did that while being a full-time student. Under the law, she is presumed innocent and reserves all of her defences for presentation in a court of law,” Barbone said.