Natalie Greene, a former congressional staffer for Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, was accused by federal prosecutors in November 2025 of staging an elaborate politically motivated attack against herself and then giving false information about the purported assault to law enforcement. According to a federal criminal complaint, Greene and an unnamed co-conspirator allegedly represented that three men attacked them on July 23, 2025, while they were at the Egg Harbor Township Nature Reserve in New Jersey. The co-conspirator called 911 and claimed the men had a gun, knew Greene’s name, and referenced her employment with a federal official. Police responding to the scene found Greene in a wooded area with her hands and feet bound with black zip ties. She had numerous lacerations on her face, neck, upper chest, and shoulder, and politically charged messages had been written on her body.
Federal investigators subsequently alleged that the attack had been fabricated. The criminal complaint states that Greene had traveled to Pennsylvania earlier that day and paid a body modification and scarification artist to deliberately cut portions of her body with a scalpel according to a pattern she had provided. Investigators also alleged that black zip ties recovered from Greene’s vehicle were similar to those used to bind her and that, two days before the reported assault, a cellphone belonging to the co-conspirator had been used to search for “zip ties near me.” Prosecutors further alleged that Greene repeated elements of the purported attack during a July 25 interview with an FBI agent, including claims that three unknown men restrained her, struck her, cut her, threatened her with a firearm, and threatened to shoot her.
Greene was charged with one count of conspiracy to convey false information and hoaxes and one count of making false statements to federal law enforcement. She made her initial federal court appearance on November 19, 2025, and was released on a $200,000 unsecured bond with additional conditions. Each count carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Greene’s attorney, Louis M. Barbone, responded by emphasizing her previous public service and her legal presumption of innocence rather than conceding the government’s allegations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office likewise emphasized that the charges are accusations and that Greene is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. As of August 11, 2026, a public apology or admission of responsibility by Greene could not be verified, and publicly available reporting continued to describe the federal case as pending.
Key Apologia Strategies:
Denial, Bolstering
Video
N/A
Transcript
Statement from Attorney Louis M. Barbone on Behalf of Natalie Greene (November 2025):
“At the age of 26, my client served her community working full time to assist the constituents of the Congressman with loyalty and fidelity. She did that while being a full-time student. Under the law, she is presumed innocent and reserves all of her defenses for presentation in a court of law.”
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. (2025, November 14). United States of America v. Natalie Greene, criminal complaint, Case No. 25-mj-7070 (EAP). U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/media/1419086/dl?inline=
