Trigger Warning: This article mentions details of an assault.
In a bizarre revelation, Natalie Greene, a former congressional staffer, has been slapped with two charges after she allegedly tried to stage her own violent assault. The 26-year-old Ocean City woman reportedly planned the entire attack in July and even spoke to the cops and manipulated them in a certain way to carry on the act until the very end.
Natalie Greene, who previously worked for Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew, is now facing charges of conspiracy and making false statements to federal investigators. Greene reportedly paid a Pennsylvania body modification artist $500 to attack her and leave convincing cuts and wounds.
The FBI visited the Pennsylvania studio and obtained documentation, which included a consent form with Greene’s signature and a copy of her driver’s license and even the photos of the cuts matched with the ones done by that particular artist. Phone records later revealed Greene maintained a Reddit account that followed “bodymods” and “scarification” forums.
‘Investigators Determined the Attack was Staged’.
Natalie Greene, a 26-year-old former aide to New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew, has been charged with faking a violent attack after allegedly paying a body-modification artist to carve lacerations into her skin, according… pic.twitter.com/Y5Okn58Xyo
— Just the Facts (@Daniell39173501) November 20, 2025
According to the Justice Department, Greene’s plan unfolded on the night of July 23, when a woman described as her co-conspirator called 911 and said that she and Greene had been attacked by three men in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.
Per CNN, the attackers knew who Natalie Greene was as they mentioned her by name, and they also had information about who she worked for. Later, when the cops arrived at a secluded forest area, they found Greene crying and screaming with her hands tied up and her feet with zip ties.
She had dozens of cuts across her body, along with two messages scrawled in black marker: “TRUMP W-ORE” across her stomach and “VAN DREW IS RACIST” on her back.
Natalie Greene claimed that the attackers held her down at gunpoint, attacked her and then wrote on her back. But investigators later determined that Greene had not only paid a “body modification/scarification artist” to inflict the injuries beforehand but also bought certain items on her own, as per surveillance video from a Dollar General in Ventnor.
FBI agents obtained a receipt from the artist showing Greene paid $500 for the wounds. Moreover, cops also found matching zip ties and duct tapes to the ones that were on Natalie Greene when she was discovered in the woods.
Greene had long and deep crisscross cuts across her upper chest, shoulder, back, neck, and lower right side of her face, as shown in the complaint, with included pictures, The Inquirer reports. She was transferred to one hospital for treatment in the beginning and then taken to another for comprehensive care.
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Rep. Van Drew’s office issued a statement expressing concern: “We are deeply saddened by today’s news, and while Natalie is no longer associated with the Congressman’s office, our thoughts and prayers are with her. We hope she’s getting the care she needs.”
Greene could face up to 10 years in prison if she is proven guilty of conspiracy and lying to the cops. She made her first court appearance on November 19, 2025, and was released on $200,000 bond.
As the news went viral, several people took to social media with their own views about the fabricated attack. Users on Reddit threads had their own set of opinions to express.
One user wrote,” Who searches ‘zip ties near me?” Wow, people are stupid,” Another said, “Gone Girl vibes, yikes.” As the case has reached its trial stage, stay tuned for further updates about it.
