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Labor Troubles for 5WPR?

The controversial public relations firm 5W Public Relations is the subject of an “ongoing investigation” by the New York Department of Labor, the department told the Forward.

The investigation prompted an allegedly stormy visit to 5WPR’s offices on Monday, which was first reported on the gossip Web site Gawker. Gawker has reported in the past on the difficult relationship that 5WPR and its brash CEO, Ronn Torossian, have had with employees and former employees.

When asked about the raid by the Forward, Torossian wrote in an email: “The department of labor made a random site visit.”

5WPR represents a number of big companies, but it has attracted equal attention for its work with smaller clients like the evangelical preacher, John Hagee, the right-wing Israeli politician Binyamin Alon, and the kosher meat company Agriprocessors.

5WPR has been under scrutiny since it announced that it was representing Taglit-Birthright Israel, which sends young Jews on free trips to Israel.

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