A 26-year-old woman from New Jersey, who previously served as an aide for a Republican congressman, has been accused of orchestrating a politically-motivated attack on herself. She allegedly hired a “body modification” artist to inflict multiple injuries on her face and body, inscribed “Trump whore” on her stomach, and bound herself using zip ties in the woods. She then falsely attributed the incident to three armed men who purportedly opposed her political views.

The woman, Natalie Greene, who once worked for Rep. Jeff Van Drew from Ocean City, now faces charges of conspiracy to convey false statements and hoaxes, along with making false statements to federal law enforcement, as per an announcement by authorities.

The Department of Justice issued a news release stating that Greene’s accomplice made a 911 call on the night of July 23. The caller claimed that three unidentified men had assaulted both her and Greene while they were walking on a trail at a nature preserve in Egg Harbor Township.

During the emergency call, the accomplice insisted that the supposed assailants were primarily interested in Greene rather than her.

“They seemed more focused on her. One guy was holding me down while the other two were with her. I managed to escape,” the accomplice alleged, according to the criminal complaint. “They were discussing politics, mentioning her work for [Jeff Van Drew]. They called her racist and a whore.”

Upon arrival, police discovered Greene lying in a wooded area just off the trail, with her hands and feet bound by black zip ties. Additionally, her shirt had been pulled over her head and secured with another zip tie.

“Greene had numerous lacerations on her face, neck, upper chest, and shoulder,” prosecutors wrote in the release. “The words ‘TRUMP WHORE’ were written on her stomach and the words ‘[Van Drew] IS RACIST’ were written on her back. Greene was crying and yelling that one of her alleged attackers had a gun.”

Greene claimed that one or more of her attackers had a gun and “threatened to shoot her.” She also claimed one or more of the attackers “held her down and restrained her movement, cutting her and writing on her body.”

Emergency medical personnel transported Greene to a local hospital for medical treatment to close the lacerations on her face and body. Several days later, she provided another statement about the incident to law enforcement, including an FBI agent. However, investigators said her story soon unraveled.

“The investigation revealed that Greene had not, in fact, been attacked by three men at gunpoint,” the release states. “Instead, Greene had paid a body modification/scarification artist to deliberately cut the lacerations on her face, neck, upper chest, and shoulder, based on a pattern that she had provided beforehand. Law enforcement officers recovered black zip ties in Greene’s car on the night of the alleged attack, similar to the zip ties that had been used to bind Greene’s arms and feet.

Investigators tracked down the body modification artist who provided them with photos of the lacerations he made to Greene’s skin. The professional’s cuts followed the “exact same pattern as the lacerations that were observed on Greene when she was found lying on the ground in the Egg Harbor Township Nature Reserve,” prosecutors said.

The criminal complaint noted that Greene drove her Maserati SUV to the nature preserve that evening. Police said Greene’s co-conspirator became “agitated” when investigators said they were going to search the vehicle

Additionally, the investigation revealed that, two days prior to the alleged attack, Greene’s co-conspirator used her cellphone to search “zip ties near me.” Footage from a Dollar General by the co-conspirator’s home allegedly showed her in the store and purchasing the zip ties two days before the alleged attack.

In a statement to the New Jersey Globe, a spokesperson for Van Drew said they were “deeply saddened” by the allegations against Greene and confirmed that she was no longer employed by 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 the care she needs,” the statement said.

Greene appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Pascal on Wednesday and was released after posting a $200,000 unsecured bond. It was not immediately clear when Greene will next be required to appear in court.