Former Hill staffer charged for allegedly staging her own violent assault

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN

(CNN) — A former congressional staffer has been charged for allegedly staging her own violent assault, for which she paid someone $500 to slice dozens of cuts into her body, according to prosecutors.

Natalie Greene, who once worked for GOP Rep. Jeff Van Drew, according to his office, is now facing charges of conspiracy and making false statements to law enforcement.

The Justice Department alleges that on the night of July 23, Greene’s co-conspirator — a woman who was not named in the criminal complaint — called 911 to report that she and Greene were attacked by three men in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. The co-conspirator claimed that the attackers referred to Greene by name and knew that she worked in Van Drew’s office.

The Justice Department does not mention Van Drew by name in the complaint, calling him “Federal Official 1,” but the congressman’s office told CNN that Greene was once employed in his office.

CNN has reached out to Greene’s attorney for comment.

When law enforcement officers responded to the scene along a trail in a nature preserve, they found Greene “in a wooded area,” crying and screaming with her hands and feet bound with zip ties, and dozens of cuts on her body, including her face and chest, according to court documents. Two messages were written in black marker on her body: “TRUMP WHORE” on her stomach and Van Drew “IS RACIST” on her back.

Investigators said in the complaint that Greene claimed the men who allegedly attacked her said they had a gun and “threatened to shoot her.” She told authorities she was held down while the men cut her and wrote on her body.

The Justice Department said the investigation revealed that Greene had paid “a body modification/scarification artist” to make the cuts to her body before the staged attack.

FBI agents went to the artist’s studio, and according to the complaint, obtained a receipt showing Greene had paid $500 for the cuts to be made on her body.

Law enforcement officers also found zip ties similar to the ones used to bind Greene’s hands and feet, in her car, court documents said. Her co-conspirator’s phone had also been used to search “zip ties near me” two days before the incident, the Justice Department said.

“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,” Van Drew’s office said in a statement. “We hope she’s getting the care she needs.”

Greene now faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty on both charges. She made her first court appearance on Wednesday and was released on $200,000 bond.

CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed to this report.

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