A 20-year-old Renton woman has pleaded not guilty to charges she stole thousands of dollars from two individuals to whom she rented the same house in South Renton.

Cookie Marie Saovangxay was charged with first-degree theft and second-degree theft. She was arraigned on March 16; she was arrested at the house on Feb. 15 but not jailed.

Saovangxay listed her former residence, a house in the 2900 block of Cedar Avenue in Renton that she does not own, as available “for rent” on the Craigslist and Zillow websites, according to Renton Police.

Renton Police estimate that more than 10 families were scammed of more than $50,000, according to a news release.

Two of the victims are listed in the charging documents  filed on March 15.

One of the victims signed a rental agreement on Jan. 16 and turned over a $5,400 cashier check. The move-in date was March 1.

According to charging documents, the victim became suspicious when Saovangxay didn’t respond to emails or phone calls and the rental house was still listed on Zillow.

The second victim happened to be in the area when two Renton Police officers were at the house. He had signed a lease on Feb. 11 and turned over a cashier check for $3,800. The move-in date was April 1.

According to charging documents, Saovangxay admitted to officers she rented the house to two different people and deposited the checks into her savings account.

In a related case not cited by prosecutors in the charging documents, a 37-year-old Renton man told Renton officers on March 14 he completed a rental agreement in late December and turned over a personal check for $5,400. They agreed to a move in date of Feb. 15, although, according to a Renton Police report, he was given numerous reasons why the house wasn’t available.

The Renton man hadn’t learned of the scam until March 14. He was trying to get his money back from his bank. He told officers he didn’t want to pursue charges.