Last week, former congressional staffer for Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) was charged with staging an elaborate hoax after alleging she was the victim of a politically motivated attack.
According to federal prosecutors, 26-year-old Natalie Greene orchestrated the entire scenario, from mutilating her own body to writing messages on it, instead than falling victim to a violent, ideologically driven assault she claimed.
Greene claimed that on July 23, 2025, she was attacked by three men in a wooded area in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. She told authorities she was tied up, slashed and had graffiti such as “TRUMP WHORE” carved into her skin.
Investigators say the evidence paints a different picture. Greene paid a body-modification artist about $500 to inflict cuts on her body, requested a scarification pattern, and then staged the “attack” such that it appeared to be politically motivated. (RELATED: Wisconsin Lawmakers Introduce Dual Enrollment Program Reform)
In the months since the incident, investigators uncovered multiple new pieces of information. Cellphone data showed Greene’s travel path: a trip to a Pennsylvania studio where the body-modification artist worked, followed by a visit to her accomplice’s home, and finally to the nature preserve where the alleged “assault” took place.
She also apparently was a part of online communities related to scarification and body mods, and the zip ties found in her car matched those used to bind her during the staged incident.
On Nov. 19, 2025, Greene made her first appearance in federal court, where she’s charged with one count each of conspiracy to convey false statements and hoaxes, and making false statements to federal law-enforcement officials. If convicted, she faces potential prison time of up to roughly 10 years. Greene was released on an unsecured bond of $200,000.
Representative Van Drew’s office released a statement saying that Greene was “no longer associated” with his office and that their thoughts were with her as she receives “the care she needs.” (RELATED: Former Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel Is Back In The Spotlight)
