A former aide to Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew is now facing federal charges after prosecutors say she staged a grotesque political hoax that blamed Trump supporters for a violent assault that never happened.
DOJ
The Justice Department on Wednesday indicted 26-year-old Natalie Greene, a onetime rising staffer in Van Drew’s South Jersey office, “with one count of conspiracy to convey false statements and hoaxes and one count of making false statements to federal law enforcement.”
According to the DOJ, Greene and an unnamed co-conspirator orchestrated an elaborate late-night drama at a nature preserve in Egg Harbor Township on July 23, 2025. Prosecutors say the duo fabricated a vicious attack, claiming that three men ambushed them, invoked Greene’s job with Van Drew—identified only as “Federal Official 1”—and even scrawled political slurs across her body.
When officers found Greene, she was tied up with black zip ties, her shirt pulled over her head, and covered in what investigators later determined were staged “scalpel” cuts. Written across her stomach was “TRUMP WHORE,” and on her back, “[Federal Official 1] IS RACIST.” She was reportedly crying and screaming that one of the imaginary attackers had a gun.
The DOJ summarized the fabricated 911 call: “Late at night on July 23, 2025, Greene’s co-conspirator called 911 and reported that she and Greene had been attacked by three men… The men had called Greene by name and had specifically referenced her employment with Federal Official 1.”
Greene once held a promising path in Van Drew’s office, interning in 2021 before being promoted to constituent advocate director in June 2024, according to public records flagged by New Jersey 101.5. But by Wednesday, she was no longer on the payroll.
Van Drew’s office issued a restrained but sympathetic statement: “We are deeply saddened by today’s news, and 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.”
Van Drew, a rare Democrat-turned-Republican who sided with conservatives in 2019 after bucking his former party’s impeachment push, has long faced political hostility. This bizarre hoax—if proven true—appears to exploit that climate for personal or political theatrics.
Federal prosecutors have not yet revealed a motive, but the staged slurs and anti-Trump framing suggest an attempt to manufacture a headline-grabbing attack during an already heated political season.
DOJ
DOJ
