Five women have filed a lawsuit against Tim Ballard, accusing the former Department of Homeland Security agent of sexual assault.
Ballard is best known for leaving DHS to rescue children from sex trafficking as told in the film Sound of Freedom. The movie went on to become a surprise hit at the box office earlier this year.
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The founder of the nonprofit Operation Underground Railroad is accused of exploiting OUR’s mission to assault the women, which included coercing them to engage in sexual acts with the intent to appear that they were a couple on their missions. The women claim Ballard would ask them if there was “anything you wouldn’t do to save a child” when engaging in his acts, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs have filed the lawsuit in Utah’s 3rd District Court under pseudonyms. All five have given statements describing their experiences with Ballard, with two of the plaintiffs claiming their marriages ended due to his actions.
The suit also claims Ballard received ketamine treatments and would also dictate prophecies by speaking to Nephi, a prophet mentioned in the Book of Mormon. These predictions include Ballard becoming a senator, the president of the United States, and a prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a role in which he would usher in the second coming of Jesus Christ.
OUR told the Washington Examiner that it tried to contact the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Suzette Rasmussen, to discuss the concerns of the women but that Rasmussen “seemed intent on litigating her client’s issues in a public forum.” The nonprofit group also stated it reviewed the plaintiffs’ complaint and that it “categorically denies the allegations as they relate to OUR.”
“O.U.R. has taken strong measures to ensure objectivity in every step of this process and it remains committed to doing so in order for the focus to return to the children as soon as possible,” the statement read. “O.U.R. is confident in its future as the leading organization committed to combatting sex trafficking and saving children who have been captured and sold into slavery.”
Angel Studios, the studio that released Sound of Freedom, directed the Washington Examiner to a statement from its CEO, Neal Harmon, that was published on Sept. 20 after allegations against Ballard were made.
“Regarding ongoing allegations we have seen about people connected to SOUND of FREEDOM, we have chosen not to rush to judgment, but rather wait for the facts and truth to come to light,” the statement read.
The filing of the lawsuit comes after a report from last month indicated that Ballard had resigned from OUR after he was accused of sexually harassing multiple colleagues. While Ballard had left his organization in June for unknown reasons, the report claimed that he resigned after the organization launched a sexual misconduct investigation against him, with the investigation involving at least seven women.
Ballard issued a statement last month in response to the report, denying the accusations and saying they were “baseless inventions designed to destroy me and the movement we have built to end the trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable children.”
“During my time at O.U.R., I designed strict guidelines for myself and our operators in the field,” Ballard’s statement read. “Sexual contact was prohibited, and I led by example. Given our meticulous attention to this issue, any suggestion of inappropriate sexual contact is categorically false.”
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Ballard is rumored to be considering a run for the Utah Senate race in 2024 after Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) announced last month that he would not seek reelection. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said on Sept. 29 that he would not issue an endorsement for the Senate race, saying he was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the allegations but that Ballard and OUR “deserve a presumption of innocence.”
The candidates running for Romney’s Senate seat include Mayor Trent Staggs of Riverton, Utah, and the state’s Speaker of the House Brad Wilson.
