Ecuador's PR firm reportedly spent more than $500G on celebrity endorsements

U.S. actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow speaks to the media about her visit to the Central African Republic at the United Nations headquarters in New York, July 22, 2014. (Reuters)

A public relations firm hired by the Ecuadorian government paid more than $500,000 to talent agencies who represent celebrities who travel there to bring awareness to the South American country's environmental damage, the Washington Free Beacon reports.

The firm, MCSquared, organized press junkets to Ecuador last year which included actors Danny Glover and Mia Farrow to promote Ecuador's lawsuit against oil company Chevron.

The firm allegedly paid a hefty price tag to recruit celebrities to attend the event, according to documents filed with the Justice Department last week.

The payments were part of a $6.4 million contract between the PR firm and the Ecuadorian government. MCSquared conducted most of the work last year but only notified the DOJ per federal law in July after the Washington Free Beacon reported its failure to disclose the contract with the government.

Payments of $188,391.12 to Greater Talent Network, representing Mia Farrow, and $330,000 to the American Program Bureau, representing Danny Glover, were made.