Photographer Charged In Sex Assault On Teens - News Story - WMUR Manchester
The agency she used: Mystique Model and Talent Management - Home
The model/talent manager of that agency was a former pro wrestler with this as their "philosophy"
In another news source the owner of the agency said:
Curious how you can have nothing to do with someone you hired...
NASHUA, N.H. --
A Nashua photographer was arrested Monday and charged with five counts of sexual assault and one count of aggravated felonious sexual assault, according to court documents.
Brendan Maness, 32, was operating a photo studio out of his Crown Street apartment, said Lt. Jeffrey Bukunt of the Nashua Police Department.
"The first victim that came to our attention was photographed in March of this year, and that would qualify for aggravated felonious sexual assault," Bukunt said.
Court affidavits said that on two occasions, two girls ages 16 and 17 were accompanied by their mothers when they went to Maness's apartment for a photo shoot. But Maness asked the mothers to wait in the hallway.
During the shoot, the victims told police that Maness rubbed baby oil on them and adjusted their bathing suit bottoms and touched their genitals.
One mother said that she had some concerns, but because the photography session was set up by a modeling agency, she thought it was OK.
"I kind of got a little leery about it, and then I said, 'Oh well, it must be OK; it's through a modeling agency,'" the mother, who did want to give her name, told News 9.
A staff member of Mystique Model and Talent Management confirmed to News 9 that at least one of the victims was referred to Maness from the agency. The staff member said the agency no longer sends any clients to Maness.
Cynthia Hudson with Mystique Modeling in Nashua said that she did not authorize the photo shoots. She told News 9 that even though she had originally hired Maness to photograph her models, it was the families that returned on their own after Maness offered a free photo session.
“I gave him a chance. I set this one photo shoot up. It’s disturbing because you trust this photographer,” Hudson said.
Hudson said that she now does background checks on her photographers.
Maness was released on $500 cash bail and is scheduled for a probable cause hearing on Aug. 18 at Nashua District Court.
The agency she used: Mystique Model and Talent Management - Home
The model/talent manager of that agency was a former pro wrestler with this as their "philosophy"
At Mystique Model and Talent Management we believe in Dewey's philosophy of the progressive educational movement. Educational institutions are "embryonic communities" in which each student must be able to apply his or her educational experience to the many facets of life. A student's education should not only prepare the student for his or her entrance into the community, it should be a community in and of itself. Knowledge is useless unless the recipient of that knowledge can apply it to the "human experience." If we as educators do not incorporate varied activities in the the learning process, students will be forced to enter society with a wealth of "textbook knowledge," but they will have no practical experience for applying that knowledge to the everyday situations and dilemmas society presents them.
Without the ideas fundamental to the progressive educational movement, a doctor could know where to make an incision in order to remove a patient's appendix,but the doctor may have no idea whether or not he or she has the stomach for the sight of blood. Thus, educators must act as the facilitators of the flow of knowledge rather than authoritarian figures from which all knowledge flows. The educational perspective is not intended to negate the value of the learning provided by a textbook, nor is it intended to diminish lessons learned inside the classroom. Instead, our philosophy is to ensure that the textbook's sentences leap from their pages and come to life and the the walls of the classroom continue to extend to meet the ever-changing boundaries of society.
The primary goal of education is to foster the growth of each individual student. At Mystique Model and Talent Management we begin by building self-esteem and nurturing positive, personal development. Next, we prepare individuals for the demands of the entertainment industry. Finally, we provide a safe and protected environment for students to audition for an learn from industry leaders. Education must be experienced so that students do not encounter aspects of society ill-prepared sot perform the tasks at hand. Regardless of the individual's level of achievement in the entertainment industry, the "Mystique Model and Talent experience" will enhance the individual's ability to meet the demands of life.
In another news source the owner of the agency said:
"I have nothing to do with him, not anything to do with the photographer. I believe my model," said Cynthia Hudson, who runs Mystique modeling agency in Nashua, and says she hired Maness once because she liked his work and wanted to give him a break.
But she says her 16-year-old client was assaulted by him when the girl set up a free photo shoot with Maness at his Nashua apartment without her knowledge.
"He did a swimsuit shoot rubbing oil on her, taking advantage of her, and I'll leave it at that," said Hudson.
Curious how you can have nothing to do with someone you hired...