Ocean City Woman Charged in Elaborate Hoax Involving Rep. Jeff Van Drew
A 26-year-old woman from Ocean City, Natalie Greene, was charged by the U.S. Attorney for orchestrating a hoax where she claimed to have been assaulted because of her association with Rep. Jeff Van Drew. Greene allegedly paid a scarification artist to create wounds on her body and staged the scene with derogatory messages written on her. The incident, which occurred in July, involved a fabricated story of an attack by three men on a nature trail in Egg Harbor Township.
Greene's elaborate hoax involved her driving to Pennsylvania to pay the artist to create the wounds on her face, neck, and upper body. She provided a pattern for the wounds in advance, and matching zip ties were found in her vehicle. Cellphone records revealed that her accomplice had searched for zip ties before the incident, further indicating that the attack was staged. Despite claiming to have been assaulted and threatened with a gun, nearly every detail of Greene's story was found to be false.
Following the incident, Greene received medical treatment for her wounds and provided conflicting accounts of the attack to law enforcement officers. She was charged with conspiracy to convey false statements and hoaxes, as well as making false statements to federal law enforcement. Greene appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge and was released on a $200,000 unsecured bond.
While the federal official involved was not identified in the complaint, it was confirmed to be Rep. Jeff Van Drew. Greene had worked for Van Drew and started law school in the fall. Law enforcement questioned Greene about the messages written on her body, which were similar to those on hate mail sent to Van Drew's office. The investigation revealed that Greene had purchased zip ties from a Dollar Store in Ventnor prior to the incident.
In conclusion, Natalie Greene's hoax involving a staged assault and false statements to law enforcement has led to her being charged with federal offenses. The elaborate scheme, which included paying an artist to create wounds and fabricating details of the attack, has raised questions about her motives and actions in connection with Rep. Jeff Van Drew.