Posted on 08/03/2005 11:41:17 AM PDT by Graybeard58
BRIDGEPORT -- Like many young women before them, three Norwalk teenagers thought a modeling agent could help them make it to the big time.
They put their trust in a Bridgeport agent who told them they wouldn't even have to pay to learn the trade. He convinced them that he cared about them and their fledgling careers, said Vanessa Liles, a mentor who knew the girls from working at a community center.
"He gained their confidence and then he used it against them," Liles said.
Police said agent Michael Britt, 42, sexually abusing the teens, raping one under the guise of performing an abortion and convincing another that sex with him would give her a model's distinctive walk. He pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday.
The charges show a sordid side of modeling -- largely unregulated in Connecticut -- that draws many young people with dreams of quick fame, glamour and riches.
Police say men posing or working as agents have lured and sexually assaulted aspiring models in New York City; Long Island, N.Y.; and Orange County, Calif.
Experts say such scenarios are not unheard of, though it's more common for girls to be bilked out of money than abused by unscrupulous modeling agents. Out of 3,000 industries tracked by the national Better Business Bureau, modeling agencies rank in the top 5 percent for complaints.
"Modeling agencies have been problematic on a variety of fronts," said Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, whose office has investigated several agencies that took clients' money but never came through with modeling jobs. "They provide hyped promises, exploiting not just young girls, but women of every age with dreams and hopes that simply can't be fulfilled."
Anyone can be a modeling agent, and telling those who are legitimate from those who are not can be difficult.
In Connecticut, modeling agencies must be licensed through the Department of Labor only if they charge application fees. Agencies do not need licenses to offer classes or services. Only three modeling agencies in the state are licensed.
Liles said it appeared Britt ran a real agency, Model World Entertainment, though none of the girls involved in the rape case ever got jobs. He was also a janitor for an abortion clinic in the same building.
Liles went to police in April after one of the three teenagers approached her about Britt.
Deborah Williams, a Stamford-based clothing designer, said she used some models from Britt's agency in a half-dozen fashion shows over six months. When they first showed up for auditions, only one was polished enough to model, she said. But Britt hired a coach to work with them, and Williams eventually used six or seven.
"I didn't get any sense of anything crazy going on," Williams said. "All our conversations only ever centered around how he was going to grow the business. I thought at some point his name was Michael Model World. That's just how he was living and breathing trying to make the agency work."
Sheila Adkins, associate director of public affairs for the Better Business Bureau, said the agency received 1,035 complaints against modeling and talent agencies last year, most from people who were promised jobs that never materialized.
"Legitimate agencies find you the jobs. They get you the jobs, they get you working, and they don't get paid till you get paid," she said.
Britt pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Bridgeport Superior Court to charges of first-degree sexual assault, fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. Three deacons from Britt's church who attended his brief court appearance said they knew he was a photographer but were unaware that he ran a modeling agency.
"He's a nice guy. He's a good person," said Walter Rucker, one of the deacons. "We know that you're innocent until proven guilty. The truth will come out. We just want to let him know that we're behind him."
Prosecutors allege that Britt told one of the teens he was a prince and wanted to marry her and have a child so he could claim his inheritance.
He told another that she needed to walk differently to be a model and that having sex with him would help, according to a warrant affidavit.
The youngest girl, then 14, thought she was pregnant, and Britt allegedly told her he was part-owner of the abortion clinic and could arrange for an exam, according to court documents.
The girl said he told her he could perform an abortion using a cream, then raped her under the guise of applying it, according to court documents. Liles said Britt convinced the girls he cared about them and wanted to help them be better models.
"Other students had to pay, but they didn't," she said. "Of course, you feel indebted. So when he wants to do something inappropriate, you feel inclined to let it go."
Blumenthal said the case is a reminder that parents should carefully monitor their children in similar instances.
"The situation is almost a textbook example of a dominant male in a position of power and authority over a young woman who may feel that advancement as a model depends on her doing things she would otherwise never think of doing," Blumenthal said. "Girls in those situations are at the most susceptible times of their lives."
Britt is being held on $200,000 bond. He is due back in court Aug. 17.
Just uh... wow!
He'll probably get his own "modeling agent" in prison.
yes...he probably will be tossing some prison salad before too long
raping one under the guise of performing an abortion
This deacon desparately needs a career change.....
Prosecutors allege that Britt told one of the teens he was a prince and wanted to marry her and have a child so he could claim his inheritance.
He told another that she needed to walk differently to be a model and that having sex with him would help,
Yes the pregnant waddle really works on the runway...
Hint to girls: Model walk means putting Left foot down to the Right of the Right foot (cross stepping). This requires keeping your legs TOGETHER. Practice THAT.
Where were these girls' parents?
Yeah, not rocket science.
As for Britt. I would have him executed. Quick and easy, with a pistol to the head.
It is high time we stop coddling these menaces and send them on, to await later judgement by the Creator.
Is he also being prosecuted for molesting the mentally impaired? I'm more shocked that these young ladies couldn't figure out what they were getting into. Don't they watch MTV in Conn.? I think maybe they didn't get the monetary incentives they were expecting and decided to 'take him down'(no pun intended).
I'm convinced the whole modeling industry is a scam, especially related to children. A hole to throw money in.
"a sordid side of modeling -- largely unregulated in Connecticut --"
Yeah. Federal and state regulation will really do wonders, and lord knows we really need some kind of government oversight in modelling.
Why don't I see any mention of the mother or father of the girls in the article?
A rapist scam artist who works for an abortionist.
They don't come much lower than that.
He should have gone to law school and become Attorney General of Arkansas. Then he would have de facto immunity from rape charges.
That analogy would never have been used six or seven years ago.
Sad that there are girls that gullible....once upon a time we had whipping posts for people like this guy....maybe we oughta take a cue from Sharia law at times....
Hmm. What a slimeball. Quite an imagination and a real opportunist, too.
(ping)
He "convinced" her to have sex?? Despicable, yes! But is it rape?
so... the "casting couch" is alive and well.
big surprise.
No, but a whipping post for the guy would work....
Michael Britt, 42
The youngest girl, then 14,
Yes, it's rape.
Sorry, missed that. Still, I'm thinking of forcible rape, not statutory.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.