Monday's hearing wasn't technically about whether the bail was right or wrong. Rather, Solomon was tasked with reviewing whether the judge handling the case, state Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, had used his discretion properly in setting the bond.

Merchan weighed arguments from both sides, and "in my judgment, (his) decision is not an abuse of judgment," Solomon said.

Prosecutors have said they believe Gristina made and squirreled away millions of dollars during years of peddling flesh. But the charge against her pertains just to a tryst she allegedly arranged this past July _ a sting involving two prostitutes meeting with an undercover officer posing as a client, prosecutors said in papers filed Monday.

Gristina "discussed pricing and available prostitutes" with the undercover officer and directed him to an Upper East Side apartment for the assignation, Linehan wrote.

Also charged in the investigation are a co-defendant accused of helping Gristina run the business, two women charged as prostitutes and a man accused of laundering money.

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