For most people in the United States outside of Glenn Beck followers, Tim Ballard, founder of Operation Underground Railroad, was not a household name until this summer’s release of Sound of Freedom. The film was subject to criticism from the legacy media and its various hangers-on, who sought to portray it as a fever-dream-fueled manifestation of QAnon/Pizzagate theories. What seemed to be overlooked by the film’s detractors in their rush to discredit a decidedly conservative offering is that human trafficking is very real.
Years ago, my wife and I traveled to Cambodia on an “awareness mission” about human trafficking. We met girls as young as 5 to women in their 20s who had been pulled out of the hell that is sex exploitation. Thus, I — like much of the nation — was suspicious about the attacks on Sound of Freedom. The filmmakers were clear that some elements of the story were fictionalized. While the star, Jim Caviezel, did wander off into adrenochrome territory, the vitriol aimed at the movie surprised me. Human trafficking is a serious problem, both in the U.S. and abroad. I’d been there. I had seen it, for God’s sake. (READ MORE: Sound of Freedom — Ringing Ticket Sales)
On Monday, however, five women filed a lawsuit in Utah’s 3rd District Court against Ballard, Operation Underground Railroad, and people and companies affiliated with both. The suit alleges multiple transgressions of both a financial and sexual nature — but not just misuse of a company credit card or an unwelcome remark in the breakroom. Ballard, the suit states, misused vast amounts of money, indulged in drug and alcohol use, visited strip clubs, and sexually groomed and abused female volunteers, namely, pressuring and manipulating women both into sexual situations and into having sex with him. Ballard, who maintains that he has done nothing wrong, allegedly went to great lengths to keep those episodes secret, including threatening that to monitor the women’s activities.
Accusations Against Ballard Pre-Date Sound of Freedom
Tim Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad are very popular in Utah, which is home to both Ballard and OUR. OUR T-shirts can be seen at festivals, concerts, and on the streets, and more than a few cars sport the OUR sticker in the back window. The fact that OUR is a Utah-based organization and Ballard a staunch member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been a point of pride for many in the Beehive State. Thus, most are reserving judgment until all the evidence is in.
Interestingly, allegations against Ballard arose in Utah well before the release of Sound of Freedom. The earliest example I could find was a December 2020 Mormon Stories podcast featuring Utah journalist Lynn Packer. Packer accused Ballard and OUR of, among other things, mismanaging funds, shady accounting, over-the-top spending, promoting conspiracy theories, spreading false information, sexual assault, drug use, and leveraging celebrity endorsements to raise funds. (READ MORE: Global Pedophile Network Exposed Two Years After FBI Shootout)
Packer downplays the issue of human trafficking — which is a worldwide issue; again, I’ve met the victims. The perpetrators come from all across the globe. There is no way to discount the impact of the problem. And it is obvious Packer is no fan of Ballard, Beck, Trump, or anyone or anything conservative or conservative-adjacent, so one could accuse Packer of having a progressive axe to grind. After all, people have been grinding axes and teeth aplenty since the 2016 election, and the media, national and local, tend to skew left and are always hunting for clicks. Packer’s allegations, however, came three years prior to the release of Sound of Freedom, and it is hard to accuse him of running cover for well-heeled deviants.
Last month, Salt Lake City Fox affiliate KSTU presented 75 pages of documents released by the Utah Attorney General’s Office regarding an investigation into Ballard and OUR. The documents outline accusations of sexual misconduct and allegations that OUR exaggerated the accounts of its activities in rescuing children from traffickers. On the odd side, Ballard is even accused of using a psychic named Janet Russon to gather intelligence for his team’s upcoming missions. Russon reportedly was paid a monthly fee of $5,000 plus a $1,560 hourly wage and claimed to be in contact with deceased Mormon leaders, such as the Prophet Nephi from the Book of Mormon.
OUR is also accused of using outdated videos to mislead potential donors into believing that it still conducted overseas rescue missions after it had ceased doing so. Ballard allegedly claimed that he could use OUR missions to lead people to the LDS church, which, KSTU reports, issued a statement condemning Ballard’s conduct. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes is facing the ire of state legislators for not being transparent about the scope of his relationship with Ballard and his knowledge of the use of a psychic.
Gov. Spencer Cox has responded to the allegations of sexual misconduct by calling them “unconscionable” if true. During his Monday morning radio broadcast, Glenn Beck, one of Ballard’s strongest supporters, said he finds them “deeply troubling”; he hopes that truth prevails and justice is served.
According to OUR, Ballard has parted ways with the organization on the heels of the investigation.
Sex Trafficking Must Not Be Downplayed
I met Ballard once in 2016 at some low-key Utah Republican function. During our five-minute conversation with the man, my wife and I realized we had one acquaintance in the anti-trafficking movement in common. I know nothing, however, about him personally. If Ballard has allowed his religion or machismo to run away with him, that will be between him, his accusers, OUR, the authorities, and the donors.
The allegations are disturbing, and, if they are true, Ballard is guilty not only of financial and sexual abuse but also of a breach of trust on multiple levels. But what is also disturbing is how some in the media, mainstream and otherwise, have tried to dismiss the issue of human trafficking as overblown or, worse yet, the product of conservative fantasies. Despite what one’s opinions may be about Donald Trump, Christians, Mormons, or conservatives in general, human trafficking is an issue that must be addressed.
On one of our last nights in Cambodia, it was suggested that, if I wanted to learn about the trafficking problem, I should go out and walk the streets of Siem Reap after nightfall. I did so with an escort for security. I was approached by a girl who may have been all of 17, dressed in what could be described as evening wear. She asked, “You be with me tonight?” She laughed at my refusal. The second girl emerged about 10 steps later. She could not have been more than 14 and was dressed as though she had just left soccer practice. She didn’t say anything. She just smiled and reached for my crotch.
Both of those children should have been home in bed, not walking the streets at night selling their bodies. And these victims of trafficking aren’t just repeatedly raped. It is not uncommon for the girls to be beaten by their captors, forced to take drugs to increase their dependence on the traffickers, and assigned a number in place of their name. By the time they are rescued, they may have contracted a disease, such as HIV.
We met one child who had been trafficked as a toddler and was too small for manual labor. The traffickers decided to inject her with drugs that destroyed her ability to speak or move. They set her on the sidewalk on a rug with a cup to beg. As a result, she was permanently confined to a wheelchair. She died in that wheelchair decades before her time.
Another girl called my wife and me “Mama” and “Papa” and asked if we would bring her a treat or present the next time we came to visit, which ended up being never. But she wanted a connection to a parent, even if it was for only a few hours. (READ MORE: VIDEO: Louisiana’s ID Verification Successfully Targets Adult Content Sites)
Sexual perversion may be the economic driver of human trafficking, but a vast array of socio-economic circumstances places these children in those positions. The people I have met who combat human trafficking for a living have never told me stories of car chases, gunfire, or other incidents of “high adventure.” There are no Indiana Jones-style vine-swinging moments or fistfights in third-world speakeasies. Rather, from what I’ve been told, the fight is more akin to hiking with blisters. It involves countless hours working with law enforcement, local governments, and lawyers. Even if a girl is rescued, she is still at risk of recidivism. Once she is free, the fight falls to doctors, social workers, therapists, teachers, and vocational rehab coaches, who will do everything possible to help restore that girl’s mind, body, and spirit. It is never over in a matter of weeks.
Rescuing people from human trafficking is a labor of love that first requires the jettisoning of the ego. And those doing the rescuing must understand that one’s efforts could be met with triumph or tragedy. Even if tragedy wins the day, those who fight for human freedom and dignity have to summon the resolve to try again. No matter what one’s philosophy may be, the issue of human beings sold for sex is a serious one, and a civil society must look beyond personalities, groups such as QAnon and Pizzagate, and political agendas to address it.
If Ballard used the fight against human trafficking as a vehicle to indulge in his personal sins or as a path to celebrity, and if he has used his position to sexually abuse or manipulate his female volunteers, he needs to answer for those actions, regardless of the good his group may have done.