Firm says it didn’t OK hiring phony power plant supporters

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The CEO of a California public relations company says it strives to make sure the people it pays to attend public hearings on controversial issues are sincere in the opinions they express.

Adam Swart is the founder of Crowds on Demand, which paid people to attend and speak at hearings in support of a power plant in New Orleans. The utility giant Entergy said Thursday it had not known the company was paying supporters. It said Crowds on Demand was hired without authorization by The Hawthorn Group, a Virginia-based firm that did work for Entergy. The Hawthorn group said Friday it didn’t authorize the payments by Crowds on Demand.

Swart declined to comment on the Entergy case Friday. But he said his company seeks out sincere supporters on various issues.