A former congressional staffer has been charged for allegedly staging her personal violent assault, for which she paid somebody $500 to slice dozens of cuts into her physique, in line with prosecutors.
Natalie Greene, who as soon as labored for GOP Rep. Jeff Van Drew, in line with his workplace, is now going through costs of conspiracy and making false statements to regulation enforcement.
The Justice Department alleges that on the evening of July 23, Greene’s co-conspirator — a girl who was not named within the prison grievance — known as 911 to report that she and Greene have been attacked by three males in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. The co-conspirator claimed that the attackers referred to Greene by title and knew that she labored in Van Drew’s workplace.
The Justice Department doesn’t point out Van Drew by title within the grievance, calling him “Federal Official 1,” however the congressman’s workplace advised NCS that Greene was as soon as employed in his workplace.
NCS has reached out to Greene’s legal professional for remark.
When regulation enforcement officers responded to the scene alongside a path in a nature protect, they discovered Greene “in a wooded area,” crying and screaming along with her arms and toes certain with zip ties, and dozens of cuts on her physique, together with her face and chest, in line with courtroom paperwork. Two messages have been written in black marker on her physique: “TRUMP WHORE” on her abdomen and Van Drew “IS RACIST” on her again.
Investigators stated within the grievance that Greene claimed the boys who allegedly attacked her stated they’d a gun and “threatened to shoot her.” She advised authorities she was held down whereas the boys minimize her and wrote on her physique.
The Justice Department stated the investigation revealed that Greene had paid “a body modification/scarification artist” to make the cuts to her physique earlier than the staged assault.
FBI brokers went to the artist’s studio, and in line with the grievance, obtained a receipt displaying Greene had paid $500 for the cuts to be made on her physique.
Law enforcement officers additionally discovered zip ties much like those used to bind Greene’s arms and toes, in her automobile, courtroom paperwork stated. Her co-conspirator’s telephone had additionally been used to look “zip ties near me” two days earlier than the incident, the Justice Department stated.
“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 workplace stated in an announcement. “We hope she’s getting the care she needs.”
Greene now faces as much as 10 years in jail if discovered responsible on each costs. She made her first courtroom look on Wednesday and was launched on $200,000 bond.
NCS’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed to this report.