A registered nurse and divorced mother of four from Chappaqua -- the town Bill and Hillary Clinton call home -- pleaded not guilty to a charge that she targeted "upscale men" for prostitution via ads on Craigslist.
Melinda Brennan did not speak Thursday night as her lawyer entered the plea in New Castle Town Court.
She's accused of soliciting on Craigslist, offering "sensuous massage'' to "generous gentlemen.''
The 46-year-old woman was arrested Feb. 19 at her home after accepting $200 for sex with an undercover cop who responded to one of her Craiglist ads.
"It's a very unusual thing to happen in Chappaqua," Detective James Wilson told NBCNewYork.
The criminal complaint says Brennan told detectives she had been posting sexual ads on Craigslist for about a month and a half. She would post a photo of herself and then ask for photos of the men she was about to meet. She told cops she worked for herself, and kept a book of customers that included the men's first names and telephone numbers, according to the complaint.
Last April, Brennan got divorced from her husband and was living in a rented house on Quaker Street for 18 months, reported The Journal News. The husband has custody of the ex-couple's children.
The house, which is in foreclosure, is owned by Janet Angier, the owner of a private music school called Music in Chappaqua.
Angier, who does not live in the residence, said she was not aware of what Brennan was doing and avoided evicting her because she was sympathetic of Brennan's plight.
"It's basically that I really wanted to help her, she needed it," Angier told The Journal News. "I gave her breaks on rents and obligations and it hurt me."
While the Chappaqua area boasts in-demand real-estate -- and neighbors like the Clintons -- Angier's home differs for its sustained damages.
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Built in 1820, the white clapboard home has a sinking driveway surrounded by plastic orange netting and plywood covering the front door that Angier said the police knocked down when arresting Brennan.
