5W Public Relations - Agriprocessors Scandal

Agriprocessors Scandal

Agriprocessors, a kosher meat processing company that went bankrupt after a federal investigation into worker abuse and hiring illegal immigrants, was a 5W client. In July 2008 a person claiming to be one of the leading critics of Agriprocessors posted comments to several blogsites that seemed to suggest that the critics were operating out of self-interest. The comments were traced back to the IP address of 5WPR's executive responsible for the Agriprocessors account.

5WPR issued a statement admitting the impersonation, saying that the firm's "IT department investigated accusations which we have now learned to be true," and that "A senior staff member failed to be transparent in dealing with client matters."