Natalie Greene, a onetime Republican congressional aide who said she was ambushed by three men on a New Jersey trail in July, is now accused by federal prosecutors of staging the assault herself.
In a criminal complaint and a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, prosecutors say Greene, 26, previously worked in the district office of Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) and conspired with another woman to fabricate a politically motivated attack in Egg Harbor Township on July 23, 2025.
Authorities allege Greene paid a body-modification and scarification artist to cut patterns into her skin just hours before reporting the incident. A friend — identified in court documents only as Co-Conspirator 1 — then called 911 and claimed the two had been attacked while walking on a wooded trail.
Police say they found Greene lying on the ground with her wrists and ankles zip-tied, her shirt pulled over her head, and multiple cuts on her face, neck, upper chest, and shoulder. Officers also reported seeing phrases written on her torso, including “TRUMP WHORE” on her stomach and “[Federal Official 1] IS RACIST” on her back.
According to the complaint, Co-Conspirator 1 told a 911 operator that “three guys just attacked us” and said the men referred to Greene’s employer during the alleged assault.
Greene told officers that two men grabbed her, restrained her with zip ties, struck her in the head, and cut her with a sharp object. She also claimed one attacker threatened her with a gun and said he would shoot her if she screamed. Prosecutors say she repeated these claims to multiple law enforcement officials in the days that followed, including an FBI agent.
Investigators later concluded that Greene’s injuries were inflicted earlier that day by a Pennsylvania scarification artist referred to as Individual 1. The complaint alleges Greene drove to the artist’s studio on July 23 and paid $500 in cash for cuts matching a pre-selected pattern. Individual 1 allegedly provided investigators with photos of the procedure, which prosecutors say align with images of Greene’s wounds taken at the hospital later that night.
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Detectives also reviewed Greene’s phone and say they found a Reddit account subscribed to scarification and body-modification communities. Her map history allegedly showed travel to the Pennsylvania studio, to Co-Conspirator 1’s home, to a Dunkin’ Donuts in Atlantic City, and then to the Egg Harbor Township Nature Reserve where the attack was reported. Investigators say they recovered consent and waiver forms dated July 23, 2025, along with messages in which Greene discussed scarification patterns, pain levels, and aftercare with the artist.
Prosecutors further allege Co-Conspirator 1 searched for “zip ties near me” two days before the incident. Police later recovered black zip ties in Greene’s Maserati that they say resembled those used to bind her and hold her shirt over her head.
During police interviews, Greene said she had been receiving threats related to her job and mentioned workplace hate mail, according to the complaint. But investigators say the evidence points to a staged scene carried out with the help of her alleged co-conspirator.
Greene appeared in federal court on Nov. 19, 2025, charged with one count of conspiracy to convey false information and hoaxes and one count of making false statements to federal law enforcement. She was released on a $200,000 unsecured bond under conditions set by the court.
