Federal prosecutors say a 26-year-old congressional staffer staged a sensational fake kidnapping straight out of a political fever dream — complete with zip ties, staged wounds, and slurs scrawled on her body — and then tried to pass it off as an attack by anti-Trump extremists.
Natalie Greene, who worked for GOP Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, now faces federal charges after investigators concluded she orchestrated every moment of the supposed abduction. According to a criminal complaint, Greene allegedly recruited a co-conspirator, scripted the emergency call, and even paid a body modification artist to carve wounds into her skin to make the story believable.
On July 23, 2025, Greene’s accomplice dialed 911 and claimed they were ambushed in the woods near Egg Harbor Township by armed men who “knew Greene by name” and her federal position. Officers arrived to find Greene on the ground near a nature reserve, her hands and feet bound with zip ties and her shirt pulled over her head. Across her torso were smeared messages including “TRUMP [expletive],” and on her back a phrase accusing her unnamed boss of being racist.
Greene told officers three attackers threatened her with a gun before leaving her tied up. Days later, she sought medical attention for laceration wounds that initially appeared consistent with the violent story she had told. According to the FBI, those wounds were fake too. Investigators say they were deliberately carved into her face, neck, chest, and shoulder by a body modification artist — using a pattern Greene allegedly provided and paid $500 for.
When authorities searched her car, they found zip ties similar to the ones around her limbs. Her accomplice’s phone contained an internet search for “zip ties near me.” By then, the narrative had collapsed, and Greene was facing federal scrutiny for what prosecutors say was a deliberate attempt to deceive law enforcement and stoke political tension.
Greene made her first appearance in federal court on November 19 and was released on a $200,000 unsecured bond. She now faces one count of conspiracy to convey false statements and hoaxes and another count of making false statements to federal agents.
Rep. Van Drew’s office confirmed Greene once worked for him but declined to say whether his name was written on her body as part of the staged attack. “Today’s news deeply saddens us,” the office said in a statement. “While Natalie is no longer associated with the Congressman’s government office, our thoughts and prayers are with her. We hope she’s getting the care she needs.”
