EGG HARBOR TWP., N.J. -- A former staffer for a Republican congressman claimed she was attacked by three armed men who tied her up, slashed her and scrawled an anti-Trump statement on her stomach, according to authorities. But federal prosecutors are now accusing her of making the whole thing up and staging the bloody scene, including hiring someone to cut her skin.
Natalie Greene, 26, of Ocean City, who worked for U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, of New Jersey, made her initial court appearance Wednesday on charges that she conspired to perpetrate a hoax and made false statements to federal law enforcement.
The woman and a friend staged the fake attack July 23 at a nature preserve in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, according to the U.S. attorney's office. The friend called 911 saying the attackers had a gun, knew the woman's name and that she worked for Van Drew, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump.
"They were attacking her. They were like talking about politics and stuff. They were like calling her names," the friend told the 911 dispatcher, according to a transcript of the call included in court records.
Responding police found the woman lying in a wooded area with her shirt pulled over her head and her hands and feet zip tied, according to prosecutors. She had several cuts on her face, neck, chest and shoulder, while slogans criticizing Trump and Van Drew were written with black marker on her stomach and back.
Greene later repeated her claims about the attack while...
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