Former congressional staffer accused of faking politically motivated attack
Greene has been charged with one count of conspiracy to convey false statements and hoaxes and one count of making false statements to federal law enforcement for alleging she was the victim of a politically motivated crime. Egg Harbor Township Police Department
A former congressional staffer has been accused of fabricating a violent attack against herself at a New Jersey park, according to a criminal complaint.
Natalie Greene, 26, paid a body modification artist to scar her and then claimed she had been assaulted in a politically motivated crime in July, the complaint alleges.
The Ocean City, New Jersey, native has been charged with one count of conspiracy to convey false statements and hoaxes and one count of making false statements to federal law enforcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey said in a statement.
Greene previously worked for Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a New Jersey Republican, his office told NBC.
A spokesperson for Van Drew declined to confirm her employment to ABC News.
Greene’s attorney, Louis Barbone, told ABC News she is innocent until proven guilty.
“At the age of 26, my client served her community working full time to assist the constituents of the Congressman with loyalty and fidelity. She did that while being a full-time student. Under the law, she is presumed innocent and reserves all of her defenses for presentation in a court of law,” Barbone said.
Prosecutors allege that Greene and a co-conspirator called 911 on July 23, saying that they had been attacked by three men with a gun at an Egg Harbor Township state park.
Law enforcement then found Greene in a wooded area bound with zip ties and lacerations on her head and chest, the criminal complaint alleges. A sexual slur referencing Trump and a statement calling her former employer “racist” were written on her stomach, according to photos from the crime scene reviewed by ABC News.
“The investigation revealed that Greene had not, in fact, been attacked by three men at gunpoint on July 23. Instead, Greene had paid a body modification and scarification artist to deliberately cut the lacerations on her face, neck, upper chest, and shoulder, based on a pattern that she had provided beforehand,” the U.S. attorney’s office said in the statement.
Law enforcement also found zip ties in Greene’s car allegedly consistent with the ones used to bind her on the night of the attack and discovered that Greene’s co-conspirator searched “zip ties near me,” according to prosecutors.
Greene told an FBI agent after the attack that she had been receiving threatening messages at work, and an investigation of her phone allegedly found messages with the modification/scarification artist in Pennsylvania, who gave law enforcement officers a copy of Greene’s receipt for $500 worth of scarification work, according to court documents.
Greene’s phone also allegedly revealed a Reddit profile that followed pages for “bodymods” and “scarification,” per court documents.
Greene was released on a $200,000 bond Wednesday after her arraignment, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. She faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to $500,000 in fines if convicted.
In this screen grab from a video released by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, 31-year-old Thomas Brown is shown after his arrest. Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office
(MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz.) — A suspect has now been arrested after two teenagers were found fatally shot in May on an isolated hiking trail in Arizona, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said Thomas Brown, 31, has been arrested on two counts of first-degree murder in the killings on Mount Ord, a popular remote hiking and camping area.
The victims had been identified as 18-year-old Pandora Kjolsrud and 17-year-old Evan Clark.
Both teens were shot multiple times, according to law enforcement.
“What a senseless, violent act, the murder of two young teenagers while out camping,” Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan said at a press conference Friday.
The suspect admitted to having an interaction with the two teens while they were hiking, but there is “no evidence” to suggest there was any association between the teens and the suspect.
“They were likely complete strangers,” Capt. David Lee said at the press conference.
“I can’t find the words to express how sorry we are for what they’ve gone through and for the continuing victimization that a crime like this causes those families,” Lee said.
The teens were first reported overdue on May 26 after a woman told law enforcement that her daughter was out camping with friends and her last known location was Mount Ord, between the cities of Mesa and Payson, Lee said.
A responding sergeant found a vehicle in the area — later identified as Clark’s — and tried to make contact with occupants but was unable to. The sergeant then requested backup, Lee said.
The additional deputies continued their search until they found a campground further up the mountain, Lee said.
“In that campsite, they noticed conditions that suggested there was evidence of something being dragged away from that camp area. They would then locate the bodies of Pandora Kjolsrud and Evan Clark, who were pronounced deceased on the scene,” Lee said.
The sheriff’s office at the time said the deaths were being treated as “suspicious.”
In the following days, detectives received many tips, including one that Brown was camping on Mount Ord on that day. Another tip from a different group of campers said they encountered an individual “acting very strangely,” Lee said.
“The tip from those campers detailed some very specific observations that caused our detectives to heighten our focus and focus our detective’s investigative efforts into Thomas Brown’s involvement,” Lee said.
Brown told law enforcement he was camping on Mount Ord from the May 23 to 26, saying his wife was with him, but that she left the morning of May 25 and he stayed behind, Lee said.
Police believe Brown acted alone, Lee said.
Brown provided law enforcement “false and misleading information” regarding his involvement with evidence and the comparison of his statements and physical evidence led to his apprehension, according to Lee.
Simone Schultz, Kjolsrud’s mother, spoke at the press conference, describing her daughter as a “beautiful, brilliant light in this world.”
“The light and love and beauty she gave us will be in our hearts forever, and the darkness that she encountered on that day when she met her killer will not define her life; his darkness will never overcome her light,” Schultz said.
“I have full faith in our judicial system to evaluate the evidence in this double homicide and find the perpetrator guilty of the violent murders he committed against two innocent teenagers,” she said. “My daughter’s life matters, and I look forward to the day the perpetrator is convicted and punished for his crimes.”
The two teens were students at Arcadia High School in Phoenix, according to a letter the principal wrote to parents at the time.
“This last week Evan was taken from me, and my level of grief feels insurmountable. I find myself at a complete loss to imagine a life without him,” Sandra Malibu Sweeney, Clark’s mother, said in a statement shortly after he was found dead. “It is a small comfort to share some things about this boy who was on his way to becoming a wonderful man.”
She continued, “Evan wasn’t a typical teenager. He was funny, bright, kind and entrepreneurial. He was an old soul who was sensitive and loving. Evan wrote me letters, the last of which he gave me on Mother’s Day that was so touching it made me both laugh and cry. He was special. He deserved a long life.”
(NEW YORK) — As New York City voters head to the polls to decide the next mayor, the Democratic frontrunner and his policy proposals have been thrust into the national spotlight.
State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani has faced attacks by his opponents, critics, Republicans, and even President Donald Trump, who have lashed out at his progressive agenda with labels such as “radical” and “communist.”
However, when examined, Mamdani’s proposals, such as freezing the rent for some New York tenants, free buses and free child care, are not only feasible but also build off the foundations of previous New York City laws, political analysts told ABC News.
“Everything he has been talking about has been done in various degrees,” Doug Turetsky, the former chief of staff and communications director at New York’s City’s Independent Budget Office, told ABC News. “There is nothing that is new in what he’s proposing, and he’s been clear on how he aims to achieve them.”
Turetsky and others have noted that while Mamdani will likely have his work cut out for him if he wins the election, he has been putting in the work to not only sell his ideas but also draw in key city players to make it a reality.
“There will be challenges for sure, and those expecting buses to be free on January 1, if he gets inaugurated, are going to be disappointed because his plans will take time,” Turetsky said. “But if Mamdani is going to be successful, he’s going to have to work with the right people, and he’s starting to make those inroads.”
Affordability becomes top issue in race Mamdani, a 34-year-old member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA,) who was elected to state office four years ago, stunned the city when he won the Democratic primary in June. He beat out former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was seen as the favorite due to his experience and ties to Democratic leaders.
The assemblyman made the cost of living the centerpiece of his campaign and vowed to give New Yorkers a change of pace following the scandals of Mayor Eric Adams.
“I think that the Democratic Party must always remember what made so many proud to be Democrats, which is a focus on the struggles of working-class Americans across this country,” Mamdani told ABC News’ senior political correspondent Rachel Scott in June.
Christina Greer, an associate professor of politics at Fordham University, told ABC News that Mamdani has kept his ear to the ground and listened to New Yorkers’ concerns, rather than relying on consultants.
“All the messaging is not a messaging for just one group. What’s the racial composition of people worried about rent? It’s everyone,” she said. “The message is clearly something New Yorkers and people across the country have been yearning for.”
How Mamdani’s proposals build off previous plans Mamdani’s campaign and policy proposals have been headlined by three major proposals: freezing the rent for the city’s 1 million rent-stabilized apartments, making buses free and guaranteeing child care for New Yorkers from six weeks until 5-years-old.
The assemblyman said he would use his power to appoint members to the city’s Rent Guidelines Board, which decides rents for those specific units, and that they would keep prices stable during their annual vote.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who ran against Mamdani in the primary, and, ultimately, crossed-endorsed him in the ranked choice voting ballot, told ABC News that the nominee’s proposals build upon the work that the city has done at addressing New Yorkers’ needs.
“There is evidence we can do it because we have done it,” he said.
From September 2023 to September 2024, the MTA issued a pilot program that made five bus lines that served minority communities free, as part of a state proposal that Mamdani pushed.
A review of the pilot released over the summer found that ridership among those free routes increased, but travel times did not get faster.
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg also proposed free buses when he ran for a third term in 2009, but the plan was never implemented.
Lander noted that 12 years ago, Mayor Bill de Blasio pushed for universal pre-K for all New York’s 4-year-olds and sought funding from Albany to make it a reality. De Blasio faced huge pushback from Democrats and Republicans alike for his proposal, who argued about the scope and cost of the project.
In 2014, universal pre-K launched in the city and eventually expanded to 3-K seats in select neighborhoods. Other school districts throughout the state and country have launched similar universal pre-K programs.
“The city has already taken bold steps for child care for all 4-year-olds and most 3-year-olds. The next step is 2-year-olds and to keep going,” Lander said, adding that his office has found the pre-K program has helped lower childcare costs for millions of parents across the city and improved the economy.
Lander also noted that the Rent Guidelines Board has frozen rents for rent-stabilized units in the past, with it happening three times during de Blasio’s administration, including during the pandemic.
The comptroller acknowledged that a lot of Mamdani’s proposals will require work and agreements from state leaders, but he pointed out that Mamdani is putting the work to make his case.
“Of course, this is going to take a lot of money, and it will be challenging because of federal cuts,” he said.
Mamdani’s opponents, Cuomo, who is running on a third-party line, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, have argued that the assemblyman’s proposals cannot be realistically done and that he lacks the experience to execute his vision.
“This is not a job for someone who has no management experience to run 300,000 people, no financial experience to run a $115 billion budget,” the former governor said in a debate last week.
How Mamdani backs up his proposals Mamdani has not been shy about the huge costs and steps it would take to achieve his goals, but he has outlined steps to get through the roadblocks.
The free bus proposal would have to be approved by the MTA, which is run by the state government, and would need an additional $800 million in state funding, according to Mamdani.
Mamdani also estimated that his plan to increase free child care would cost the city $6 billion annually.
He has proposed a 2% tax on New York City residents earning more than $1 million a year, and an increase in the state’s corporate tax rate to 11.5% to pay for his proposals. Both tax changes would need approval from state leaders.
The assemblyman has insisted that Albany leaders would be attentive to the benefits his proposals would bring to the city’s residents and that New York’s wealthiest residents and major corporations would benefit if those affordability solutions were in place.
“Mamdani will have an uphill battle given that he’s going to have to make the case to state leaders who are concerned about spending,” Greer said.
Alexis Grenell, the co-founder of Pythia, a political consulting group, told ABC News that since the primary ended, Mamdani has hit the ground running in neighborhoods to pitch his vision for the city.
Grenell, who has not done any consulting work for the Mamdani campaign, said that the biggest part of Mamdani’s appeal has been his active effort to meet people in person, even opponents, and listen to their concerns as he makes his case.
“He actually does mean it when he says he’s listening, and he’s shown it since the primary,” she said.
Grenell added that Mamdani’s messaging draws a sharp contrast from the messaging of his opponents.
Cuomo has recently increased attacks on Mamdani, attacking his political inexperience and has made controversial comments appearing to reference Mamdani’s background as a Muslim.
The former governor has brushed off criticism of his attacks on Mamdani, citing the assemblyman’s comments about the Israeli government committing genocide in Gaza. During a news conference Thursday, Cuomo brought up Mamdani’s appearance on influencer Hasan Piker’s podcast, noting Piker said in 2019 that “America deserved 9/11.”
Piker later said his remarks were inappropriate and meant to be satire.
Mamdani condemned Piker’s comments as “reprehensible” during a debate last week.
“I don’t think Andrew Cuomo has any ideas beyond his revenge campaign,” Grenell said. “I think a lot of New Yorkers are put off by that.”
Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, a volunteer crime prevention group, has led a campaign focused on public safety.
“New Yorkers do have public safety concerns, but not as much as the concerns about whether they can afford their rent or even a sandwich,” Grenell said.
Making the case to moderates The experts told ABC News that one of Mamdani’s most effective decisions since he won the primary was to actively reach out to prominent moderate and sometimes conservative New York figures to talk about his vision and hear their thoughts.
Mamdani has spoken with many of the city’s major business leaders, including JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, and discussed his proposals, telling reporters that he wants to address their concerns while also tackling affordability.
“I think he is trying to present a more nuanced persona than he was originally perceived as. He was seen as an activist, and he’s coming off more nuanced,” Turetsky said.
Mamdani has had discussions with former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the city’s wealthiest business owners and a former Republican. Howard Wolfson, one of Bloomberg’s longtime advisers who was in the meeting, told the New York Times the former mayor and Mamdani ” disagreed on several issues,” but had a good meeting.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people after they have been with him, and in a lot of cases, they found him to be a good listener, asked a lot of questions, and gave smart and serious answers on how he will deliver on those commitments,” Lander said.
One of the biggest endorsements that Mamdani has secured since his primary is from Gov. Kathy Hochul, a moderate Democrat who will be a deciding factor in the state funding.
Hochul has been clear that she does not intend to raise taxes on New Yorkers, but she did say that she shares Mamdani’s commitment to expanded child care and bringing costs down.
“So I think there is a path for us to work collaboratively,” the governor said about Mamdani at an Oct. 16 summit on child care.
“There are policies that are troubling to the business community, I understand that, but the candidate has focused intensely on affordability, and that’s not just a buzzword. It’s a call to find meaningful solutions that start meaningful solutions that start changing people’s lives and their perspectives of their lives immediately. And I look forward to working with him on that,” she added.
The experts said that Mamdani’s outreach has also affected his campaigning on his policies.
The assemblyman has indicated in recent interviews that he is open to other ways to fund his proposals that don’t involve raising taxes if a viable option is available.
Mamdani says he plans to keep the current NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch if elected.
“I do think we have to give politicians room to evolve,” Greer said. “That’s what we’re seeing, the maturation of a candidate.”
True tests lie ahead As the campaign winds down, the experts warned that Mamdani will have to prepare himself for the intense scrutiny that awaits him, not only from those opponents but also from his own supporters.
Although the assemblyman has made it clear that his proposals will take time and are not guaranteed to be implemented the way he has planned, New Yorkers typically don’t give incoming mayors a long honeymoon period, Turetsky said.
“His biggest risk is with some of his most loyal and hyped-up supporters. If he can’t deliver major changes in short order, they might be questioning his commitment to his promises,” Turetsky said.
Grenell said a Mamdani administration will have to deal with Trump, who has labeled him a communist and threatened to take away federal funding if the assemblyman wins.
Mamdani has vocally criticized Trump’s controversial mass deportation actions and federal cuts, but has said he would be willing to work with the president if he wants to tackle the affordability crisis.
Grenell said while Trump’s threats are concerning to many New Yorkers, residents are ultimately looking for a mayor who fights for them, and Mamdani has shown his willingness to counter the president if he does anything to hurt the city.
“They know Trump will weaponize Mamdani for his own brutal attacks on the city, but Mamdani is smart and continues to point that out,” she said. “And he’s been able to still stick to the main point at hand, which is affordability.”
(WASHINGTON) — A 19-year old college student who was deported the week before Thanksgiving after a federal judge blocked her removal said she was handcuffed and later forced to sleep on the floor in a detention center.
“I burst into tears because I couldn’t believe it, and spending the night there, sleeping on the floor,” Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, speaking from Honduras, told ABC News in an exclusive interview.
Lopez Belloza, who entered the U.S. from Honduras with her family when she was 8 years old, was about to board her flight from Massachusetts to Texas last Friday to surprise her parents for the holiday when immigration authorities detained her.
“When they told me, ‘You’re going to come with us’ … I was like, ‘Oh, I have a plane that I literally have to be there right now.’ They’re like, ‘No, you’re not even going to go on the plane,'” Lopez Belloza said.
The college freshman told ABC News that immigration officers declined to answer her repeated questions about why she was arrested and where she was going.
Court documents obtained by ABC News show that within hours of her detainment, a federal judge ordered the government not to remove Lopez Belloza from the U.S. and not to transfer her outside of Massachusetts.
But she was transferred that evening to a detention center in Texas and deported to Honduras the next day despite the court order.
“How does it feel to know that you were deported despite a judge saying that you should not be?” ABC News asked.
“It feels unfair,” Lopez Belloza said. “If there was an order, then why did everything happen to me so fast, within three days?”
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told ABC News that Lopez Belloza had been issued an order for removal in 2015, but Lopez Belloza said she was surprised when authorities informed her of that.
“On November 20, CBP arrested Any Lopez-Belloza, an illegal alien from Honduras, as she was attempting to board a flight at Boston Logan International Airport,” the DHS spokesperson said. “This illegal alien entered the country in 2014 and an immigration judge ordered her removed from the country in 2015, over 10 years ago. She has illegally stayed in the country since.”
“Illegal aliens should use the CBP Home app to fly home for free and receive $1,000 stipend, while preserving the option to return the legal, right way,” said the DHS spokesperson. “It’s an easy choice leave voluntarily and receive $1,000 check or stay and wait till you are fined $1,000 day, arrested, and deported without a possibility to return legally.”
Lopez Belloza told ABC News that her parents were not aware she was traveling to Texas for the holidays.
“They didn’t know that I was at the airport,” she said. “They didn’t know nothing … and I just thought … now the surprise is going to be that I got arrested. It shouldn’t have been this way.”
“I feel like I made a mistake by me going to the airport … I’ve never, lied to my parents in that kind of way,” she said.
Lopez Belloza said this is her first time back in Honduras since her family fled the country more than a decade ago. She said her family thinks her deportation isn’t fair because she has no criminal record and was “just focusing on her studies.”
She told ABC News that she was living her American Dream.
“My parents, who they work so hard to be able to send me to college,” she said. “And I got really good financial aid. I really got a good college that basically wanted me, and I wanted them.”
“My dream was for me to be in college, fulfill not only mine but also my family dream … for me to be in college, be one of the first ones in my family to be there,” she said. “It was like … wow … I’m doing this. It’s happening.”
The 19-year-old was removed as part of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown, under which half a million migrants have been deported and at least another 1.6 million have self-deported.
When asked by ABC News what her message would be to President Donald Trump, Lopez Belloza said, “Why is he getting people who are living in the United States working day and night, people, people like me, who are in college, doing their dreams, having an education?”
