Natalie Greene, formerly employed in Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s office, has been charged with conspiracy and making false statements after prosecutors say she paid $500 to a body modification artist to inflict cuts on her and then staged an attack on July 23 in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. Officers found her bound with zip ties and marked with dozens of cuts and messages written on her body. FBI agents recovered a receipt and other evidence connecting Greene to the prearranged scars; she was released on $200,000 bond and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Former Congressional Aide Charged After Allegedly Paying to Injure Herself and Staging Assault
Natalie Greene, formerly employed in Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s office, has been charged with conspiracy and making false statements after prosecutors say she paid $500 to a body modification artist to inflict cuts on her and then staged an attack on July 23 in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. Officers found her bound with zip ties and marked with dozens of cuts and messages written on her body. FBI agents recovered a receipt and other evidence connecting Greene to the prearranged scars; she was released on $200,000 bond and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
03:32 AM, 11/21/2025Politics
Natalie Greene, a former staffer for Rep. Jeff Van Drew, has been charged with conspiracy and making false statements after federal prosecutors allege she paid a body modification artist $500 to cut dozens of wounds into her body and then staged a violent assault on July 23 in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.
Allegations and evidence
According to the criminal complaint, a co-conspirator called 911 the night of the incident to report that three men attacked her and Greene along a trail in a nature preserve. Responding officers found Greene crying and screaming in a wooded area with her hands and feet bound by zip ties and multiple cuts on her face, chest and torso. Two messages were written on her body in black marker: "TRUMP WHORE" on her stomach and "Van Drew IS RACIST" on her back.
Investigators say Greene told authorities that the attackers threatened to shoot her and held her down while cutting and writing on her. The Justice Department alleges the opposite: that Greene arranged the injuries in advance. FBI agents visited the alleged body modification artist’s studio and recovered a receipt showing Greene paid $500 for the scarification work. Law enforcement also found zip ties similar to those used to bind Greene in her car, and court records indicate the co-conspirator’s phone searched for "zip ties near me" two days before the event.
Charges, response and status
Greene has been charged with conspiracy and making false statements to law enforcement. She was arraigned and released on $200,000 bond. If convicted on both counts, she faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
Statement from Greene’s attorney: "At the age of 26, my client served her community working full time to assist constituents while also attending school full time. She is presumed innocent under the law and will present her defenses in court." — Louis Barbone
Rep. Van Drew’s office said Greene is no longer employed there and expressed concern for her well-being. The federal investigation and the criminal complaint remain the primary sources for the allegations; Greene's guilt has not been established in court.