EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A former staffer for a Republican congressman claimed she was attacked by three armed men who tied her up, slashed her and scrawled an anti-Trump statement on her stomach, according to authorities. But federal prosecutors are now accusing her of making the whole thing up and staging the bloody scene, including hiring someone to cut her skin.

The 26-year-old woman, who worked for U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, of New Jersey, made her initial court appearance Wednesday on charges that she conspired to perpetrate a hoax and made false statements to federal law enforcement.

The woman and a friend staged the fake attack July 23 at a nature preserve in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, according to the U.S. attorney's office. The friend called 911 saying the attackers had

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