A former congressional staffer was accused of staging a brutal political attack that included hiring someone to stab her body.
Natalie Greene, 26, and an accomplice staged the attack on a nature trail, prosecutors say, and then told police that three gunmen attacked Greene, tied her up, wrote “Trump slut” on her stomach and inflicted dozens of cuts on her.
Greene told police she was attacked because she worked for New Jersey GOP Rep. Jefferson Van Drew, who was not named in the indictment but whose office confirmed her former employment.
Green is charged with conspiracy to falsely report a violent assault and making false statements to law enforcement.
On July 23, Greene and her accomplice called 911 to report that they were walking along a wooded trail in a nature preserve in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, when they were attacked by three men. They called Greene by name, citing her employment with a federal official, according to the indictment.
When police responded, they found Greene's arms and legs bound with zippers, her shirt pulled over her head, and the words “Trump Whore” written on her stomach and “[federal official] is racist” on the back, the indictment says.
There were lacerations on her face, neck, chest and shoulders. Both at the scene and a couple of days later, Greene told police that her assailant was holding her down and threatening to shoot her, the indictment says.
During the investigation, police said they discovered that Greene's and her accomplice's stories did not match. Police also determined that Green's accomplice had searched “zip ties near me” prior to the incident, and the same zip ties were found in Green's Maserati.
Police also said they found a receipt showing Green paid a body modification artist $500 to cut up her body on the same day of the incident.
“We are deeply saddened by yesterday's news, and although Natalie is no longer associated with the Congresswoman's government office, our thoughts and prayers are with her. We hope she gets the help she needs,” a spokesman for Rep. Van Drew's office told the BBC on Thursday.
Green faces up to 10 years in prison and a total fine of $500,000 if convicted of both charges. She was released on bail of 200 thousand dollars.
The BBC has approached Green's lawyers for comment.
