Men sentenced for conning aspiring models in Needham

Two men, including a Level 2 sex offender, pleaded guilty today in Norfolk Superior Court for operating a fake modeling agency out of Needham, where they conned aspiring models out of thousands of dollars, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General's office.

Edriss Farazi, 29, of Framingham, pleaded guilty to 13 counts of larceny over $250, two counts of unemployment fraud, workers' compensation fraud, operating an unlicensed employment/modeling agency, and false or fraudulent advertising by an employment agency.

Farazi, a Level 2 sex offender, opened up Marvel Models in March 2004 on Highland Avenue. A month later, the Needham Police Department began to receive several complaints about the agency.