A former congressional staffer has been accused of fabricating a violent political attack that involved hiring someone to slash her body.
Natalie Green, 26, and her accomplice are charged with filing a false report of an attack on a nature trail, according to prosecutors. They allegedly told police that three armed individuals assaulted Green, bound her, wrote "Trump whore" on her stomach, and inflicted dozens of cuts.
Green told police she was targeted because she worked for Jeff Van Drew, a New Jersey Republican congressman, whose office confirmed her former employment.
Green has been charged with conspiracy to file a false report of a violent attack and making false statements to law enforcement.
On July 23, Green and her accomplice called 911, claiming they were walking on a wooded trail in a nature preserve in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, when three people attacked them. They reportedly called Green by her federal job title.
When police arrived, they found Green with her hands and feet bound with plastic straps, a shirt covering her head, and the words "Trump whore" on her stomach and "Federal job title racist" on her back, according to the indictment.
She had cuts on her face, neck, chest, and shoulder. Green told police, both at the scene and days later, that her attacker held her down and threatened to shoot her, according to the indictment.
During the investigation, police said Green's and her accomplice's stories did not match up. They also found that Green's accomplice had retrieved "plastic straps near me" before the incident and the same plastic straps were found in Green's Maserati.
Police also reportedly found a receipt showing Green paid a body modification artist $500 to slash her body on the same day the incident occurred.
"We are deeply saddened by yesterday's news and although Natalie is no longer affiliated with the congressman's government office, our thoughts and prayers are with her. We hope she is receiving the care she needs," a spokesperson for Van Drew's office told BBC on Thursday.
Green faces up to 10 years in prison and a combined fine of up to $500,000 if convicted on both charges. She was released on $200,000 bail.
The BBC has reached out to Green's lawyers for comment.
