Former congressional staffer Natalie Greene, 26, has been charged with conspiracy and making false statements after allegedly staging a politically motivated attack against herself.

Prosecutors say Greene and a co-conspirator fabricated a story that three men assaulted her, bound her with zip ties, and carved derogatory political messages into her skin.

Investigators later found that Greene had paid a scarification artist for the cuts and that her accomplice had searched for zip ties beforehand, contradicting their original claims.

Greene appeared in federal court Thursday and was released on a $200,000 bond, The Hill has reported.

Her former employer, Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s office, expressed sadness over the situation and said they hope she receives needed care.