A New Jersey resident, Natalie Greene, 26, from Ocean City, has been charged with conspiracy and making false statements to law enforcement after allegedly fabricating a violent assault connected to her employment with a federal official. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba.
Greene faces one count of conspiracy to convey false statements and hoaxes and one count of making false statements to federal authorities. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Pascal on November 19, 2025, and was released on a $200,000 unsecured bond with additional conditions.
According to court documents and statements presented during the proceedings, the incident took place late at night on July 23, 2025. Greene’s co-conspirator called 911 claiming that both had been attacked by three men while walking at a nature preserve in Egg Harbor Township. The caller alleged that the attackers referred to Greene by name and mentioned her association with “Federal Official 1,” whose identity is known to authorities.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Greene in a wooded area near the trail with her hands and feet bound using black zip ties. Her shirt was pulled over her head and also tied with a zip tie. She had multiple lacerations on her face, neck, upper chest, and shoulder. Words were written on her body: “TRUMP WHORE” on her stomach and “[Federal Official 1] IS RACIST” on her back. Greene claimed that one of the attackers was armed.
Greene told police that she had been threatened at gunpoint and restrained while being cut and marked by the assailants. She repeated these claims days later to law enforcement officials including an FBI agent.
However, investigators determined that no such attack occurred. Instead, it was found that Greene had hired a body modification artist to inflict the injuries based on a design she provided beforehand. Officers also discovered black zip ties in Greene’s vehicle matching those used at the scene, and cellphone records showed that two days prior to the reported incident there was an online search for “zip ties near me” from her co-conspirator’s phone.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to $250,000 in fines, and three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Habba acknowledged several agencies for their roles in the investigation: special agents from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force; detectives from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office; officers from Egg Harbor Township Police Department; New Jersey State Police; and Capitol Police special agents.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Askin and Sara A. Aliabadi (Criminal Division) as well as James Donnelly of the Department of Justice National Security Division.
Authorities emphasized: “The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
Greene is represented by defense counsel Louis M. Barbone of Jacobs & Barbone P.A.
