Ex-NJ GOP aide accused of staging hate crime hoax is now dating felon: sources

Ex-NJ GOP aide accused of staging hate crime hoax is now dating felon: sources

The ex-GOP aide accused of staging a politically motivated hate-crime hoax in New Jersey by slashing her body with scars is now dating a career criminal with an ankle monitor and a rap sheet spanning three states, sources told The Post.

Natalie Greene, who faces federal charges for allegedly orchestrating a fake 2025 attack in which “Trump whore” was carved onto her body while working for Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew, recently shared a smiling Fourth of July selfie with the heavily tattooed man.

People familiar with the relationship identified him as her boyfriend, 34-year-old Dylan Wayne Goetz, whom she allegedly met on the dating app Hinge.

Dylan Goetz, 34, has been identified as the mystery man in Natalie Greene’s Facebook photo. Broward County Sheriff’s Office

Goetz, originally from Washington state, has accumulated convictions and arrests dating back to 2010, including for possession of fentanyl, burglary, grand theft and money laundering, according to court records.

He’s cycled through county jails and had a two-year prison stint in Oregon from 2018 to 2020, according to the state’s Department of Corrections. 

Goetz was most recently busted on burglary and second-degree grand theft charges after he allegedly broke into a Florida home and stole a safe holding over $10,000 worth of items including a Rolex and cash in July 2022, per court filings. 

Greene updated her Facebook profile photo with a selfie of her and Goetz. FaceBook / Natalie Greene

Despite his long rap sheet, Goetz is no criminal mastermind.

“He stole a safe and he called his drug dealer to come pick him up and he ended up leaving his phone at the scene,” said a source who knows Greene and through her has knowledge of the arrest, and who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “That’s how he got caught.”

Goetz has pleaded not guilty to the crimes and has been released to a drug abuse treatment center in Oakland Park with an ankle monitor since August 2025, court papers show. He’s due back in court in October. 

In Greene’s allegedly fake assault case, she was charged with conspiracy to falsely report a violent attack and giving false statements to law enforcement after claiming she was repeatedly slashed by three masked gunmen at a park in Egg Harbor Township on the night of July 23, 2025. She said it was a politically motivated attack because she worked for Van Drew, a pol who had switched from Democrat to Republican in 2020.

A Facebook post of one of Goetz’s dating profiles from behind bars. pen pals for male prison inmates/Facebook

She was granted supervised release in January as she awaits trial, and is reportedly living a chaotic life in Florida.

Childhood campmate Kristin Haughton James welcomed her into her Florida home and was acting as her custodian until all hell broke loose and she kicked her out in March, she claimed. 

“I have never met chaos incarnate until I met this person,” she told NJ.com. “Lives for the drama – wants everything to be about her.”

Haughton James said Greene left her home a wreck, tried to get her evicted and falsely told cops that she was dealing drugs and threatened her with a gun.  

Greene left Haughton James’ home a mess when she left. Obtained by the NY Post

Before moving in with Haughton James, Greene had already cycled through two other guardians — including her mother — and had been ordered to attend inpatient treatment. 

It is unclear where Greene moved to, but the source claims she now lives in an apartment in Pompano Beach. 

Greene allegedly staged the attack in 2025 while working as a congressional aide. Instagram/Natalie

 An attorney for Greene and Goetz did not return requests for comment.

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