A former Republican staffer claimed she was violently assaulted by thugs in a politically motivated attack that left her hogtied with multiple cuts and “Trump w***e” scrawled on her stomach. Natalie Greene, 26, was found on a nature trail by police screaming and crying with her hands and legs bound with zip ties, her shirt pulled over her head, dozens of cuts to her body and political slurs written on her body with black marker, including: “Trump w***e” on her stomach and “Van Drew is a racist” on her back.

Court documents show Greene with deep cuts to her body and face, while investigators said she claimed the men who allegedly attacked her threatened to shoot her. She told authorities she was held down while the men cut her and wrote on her body in Egg Harbour Township, New Jersey. However, the case took a shocking turn when the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that Greene had staged the whole attack and paid someone $500 (£447) to cut her dozens of times.

Greene told police she was targeted because she worked for New Jersey Republican Representative Jefferson Van Drew, who was not named in the indictment but whose office confirmed her former employment.

Following the alleged attack on July 23, Greene has now been charged by US Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba with conspiracy to falsely report a violent attack and giving false statements to law enforcement.

During their investigation, police stated that they found the stories of Greene and her co-conspirator – a woman who has not been named – did not match, and that the latter had searched for “zip ties near me” prior to the incident – the same products that were later found in Greene’s Maserati.

Police also said they found a receipt showing that Greene had paid a body modification artist $500 to slice her body on the same day as the incident. She is even said to have provided the artist with the design she wanted, according to the New York Post.

Investigators also found the location of the tattoo or body modification parlour on her phone, as well as a Reddit profile that followed pages that included “bodymods” and “scarification”.

“We are deeply saddened by yesterday’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,” a spokesperson for Rep. Van Drew’s office told the BBC on Thursday (November 20).

If found guilty of both charges, Greene faces up to 10 years in prison and a combined $500,000 (£382,400) fine. She was released on a $200,000 (£153,000) bond.