A GOP Congressman staffer was discovered crying and bound by zip ties in a nature reserve with the words ‘Trump wh***’ written on her stomach and cuts across her face, neck, chest and shoulders. 

A frantic 911 call came in on the night of July 23 reporting that three men had attacked Natalie Greene, one allegedly brandishing a firearm and threatening to shoot her while mentioning her boss’s name. 

The former Rutgers Law School student said the attack took place after she received threats while working at the congressional office for New Jersey Republican Representative Jeff Van Drew.

But after the FBI questioned her, Greene’s elaborate story began to unravel, resulting in the young staffer being charged with making false statements after she was accused of faking the attack on herself, with the help of an accomplice.

She had been found in New Jersey woodland in tears with distinct-looking laceration marks all over her body, bound by her hands, feet and even around her neck with black zip ties. 

Greene told an FBI agent that two men grabbed her, pulled up her shirt and restrained her on the ground before tying her up. 

She claimed that one struck her on the head before cutting into her body and ‘scraping’ her, with the pain so intense she began to scream.

The staffer added that one of her ‘attackers’ claimed he had a gun and threatened to shoot her if she moved, though Greene said she never saw the weapon and only felt something push against her stomach. 

The same night the 911 call was made, police searching Greene’s Maserati found extra black zip ties identical to the ones allegedly used to bind her. 

Federal investigators later discovered that days earlier, Greene’s friend had searched the internet for ‘zip ties near me’ and was seen on surveillance buying them at a Dollar General Store around 6pm on July 21.

When federal agents seized Greene’s phone after the alleged attack, they uncovered a Reddit account following ‘bodymods’ and ‘scarification’ pages.

Police found that Greene travelled to a Pennsylvania tattoo and body-modification studio at around 2pm that afternoon and paid $500 in cash to have cuts and markings made across her face, neck, back and shoulders with a scalpel.

The markings, including the one calling her a slur and another saying ‘Van Drew racist’, were an exact match with her injuries from the supposed kidnapping.

Greene, who had spent years as a constituent advocate director for Van Drew, took photos of the exact scars she wanted the artist to execute, complete with patterns for scars and cuts all over her face, neck, upper chest and shoulder, police say. 

Greene then travelled to Ventnor, New Jersey, picked up her friend and co-conspirator and visited a Dunkin’ Donuts in Atlantic City before the pair eventually headed to the Egg Harbor Township Nature Reserve, arriving around 9.30pm.

At 10.36pm, the co-conspirator, who has not been identified, called 911, reporting that she and Greene had been jumped by three men who threatened them at gunpoint and referenced Greene’s boss.

Greene repeated the claims to responding officers, saying one of the attackers held her down, cut her, restrained her and threatened to shoot her. 

It is not clear whether the co-conspirator is also facing charges. 

By July 24, police and the FBI had already begun pulling cellphone data. 

On July 25, Greene is accused of making materially false statements to federal investigators. She was formally indicted on November 14. 

US Attorney for New Jersey and Trump appointee Alina Habba charged Greene with one count of conspiracy to convey false statements and hoaxes and one count of making false statements to federal law enforcement.

If found guilty on both charges, Greene faces up to ten years in prison, $500,000 in fines and up to six years of supervised release. 

She made her first appearance in federal court on Wednesday and was released on $200,000 unsecured bond. 

When the Daily Mail reached out to Van Drew’s office, a spokesman said she is no longer working for the congressman.  

‘While Natalie is no longer associated with the congressman’s government office, our thoughts and prayers are with her and hope she’s getting he care she needs,’ Paxton Antonucci said. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to Greene and her attorney for comment. 

Van Drew, who represents New Jersey’s 2nd district, left the Democrats after he vocally opposed the current impeachment investigation into Trump ahead of the upcoming vote. 

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy blasted Van Drew after word of his decision went public. 

‘Jeff Van Drew has chosen his political career over our Constitution,’ Murphy said, adding that he was ‘willing to enable Donald Trump just to try to salvage his own election.’

Trump praised Van Drew on X, saying the 66-year-old had ‘guts.’ 

‘Wow,’ Trump wrote, ‘that would be big. Always heard Jeff is very smart!’

In another tweet, Trump said: ‘Thank you for your honesty Jeff. All of the Democrats know you are right, but unlike you, they don’t have the ‘guts’ to say so!’ 

Van Drew’s move has proven successful, as he’s retained his seat in Congress in three elections since changing parties.