New Jersey woman who worked Congress employee for Representative Jeff Van DrewR.N.J. was charged with organizing a false political attack in which graffiti and scars were written on her body.
Natalie Green, 26, made her first court appearance Wednesday on charges that include one count of conspiracy to communicate false statements and hoaxes and one count of making false statements to federal law enforcement in connection with the staged attack.
The maximum penalty for each charge is five years in prison.
“We are deeply saddened by today'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,” Van Drew's representative said in a statement.
According to the criminal complaint, on July 23, a female accomplice called 911 and stated that “three guys just attacked us” while she and Green were walking along a trail at a wildlife refuge in New Jersey.
“They attacked her. They were kind of talking about politics and stuff like that. They were kind of calling her name,” the accomplice allegedly told the 911 operator, adding that the attackers were referring to Greene and her work for Van Drew.
Egg Harbor Township police found Greene with cuts to her face and upper body and her arms and legs bound with zippers, and said she screamed through tears that one of the alleged assailants “had a gun” and was threatening to shoot her, according to the complaint.
Greene's shirt was pulled over her head and secured with a zipper, and the words “TRUMP SLUT” were written on her stomach and another message was etched on the back saying Van Drew was a “RACIST,” the complaint said.
Greene later told law enforcement officials that her attackers hit her in the head, held her down, cut her with a sharp object and wrote messages found on her body, court documents say.
The investigation revealed that Greene paid a scar artist to use a scalpel to cut parts of her body in a pattern she specified before the incident, according to the complaint.
Investigators said black zip ties similar to those used to restrain her were found in Greene's car the night of the alleged attack.
Investigators also determined that two days before the attack, Green's alleged accomplice's phone was used to search for “buckets near me.”
Green was released on $200,000 unsecured bail and additional conditions.
Kyle Stewart And Amanda Terkel contributed.
