A disbarred attorney charged with kidnapping in a California case that police initially dismissed as a hoax has pleaded not guilty.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says Matthew Muller entered his not guilty plea Monday in federal court in Sacramento.
The 38-year-old Muller is charged in the March kidnapping of Denise Huskins.
Muller, a Harvard Law School graduate, is accused of kidnapping Huskins from her Vallejo home.
After Huskins reappeared two days later, Vallejo police said at a news conference the kidnapping was a hoax. They have since apologized.
Huskins has filed a claim against the city seeking unspecified monetary damages.
Copyright The Associated Press