Operation Underground Railroad
Ballard founded the non-profit organization Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) in 2013. [15] He has claimed, without evidence, that his organization has rescued thousands of trafficking victims. [16] He was invited by Donald Trump to join a White House anti-trafficking advisory board. [17]
On May 14, 2015, Ballard testified before the United States Congress House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global Human Rights during which he recommended procedures and practices for rescuing children from trafficking rings. [18] The hearing focused on partnerships between the US government and non-governmental organizations that rescue trafficking victims. [19] On March 6, 2019, Ballard testified before the US Senate Judiciary Committee about US-Mexico border security and its relation to child sex trafficking. [20] [21] As early as 2016, Ballard was criticized for broadcasting raids without regard for victim privacy. [22] [23]
Ballard was appointed to the White House Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking in 2019. [24] The Council was terminated as required by the enabling legislation on September 30, 2020. [25]
In October 2020, the Attorney's Office of Davis County, Utah initiated an investigation into complaints that O.U.R. and Ballard had conducted illegal fundraising efforts. [26] [27] [28] No charges were filed and the investigation was closed on March 28, 2023. [29]
Ballard and supporters of O.U.R. have been accused of promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory as early as 2020. [30] [31] [32] In July 2023, the month Sound of Freedom was released, Ballard stated that this claim is not true and is being used to discredit him and the film. [33] In an interview with Jordan Peterson the same month, Ballard claimed, without evidence, to have recently raided a West African "baby factory", where children were sold for organ harvesting and Satanic ritual abuse, a claim that echoed a QAnon conspiracy theory. [34] [35]
In 2021, Ballard paid himself $355,000 in salary and compensation as CEO of O.U.R. In 2022, his salary had risen to $546,548. [36]
Sexual misconduct allegations and resignation
Ballard was removed as CEO and forced to leave O.U.R. in 2023. [37] [38] At the time, Vice reported: "An anonymous letter sent to employees of and donors to the anti-trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad asserts that founder Tim Ballard left the organization recently after an internal investigation into claims made against him by multiple employees." [39] Vice later reported that his departure had followed allegations of sexual misconduct. [40] The contents of the anonymous letter were published in full on September 17; it alleged a pattern of grooming and manipulation of women affiliated with the organization. [40] [41] [42]
In the same week that the allegations were made public, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publicly denounced Ballard, stating that he had used the name of church leader M. Russell Ballard (no relation) for personal gain, and called his conduct "morally unacceptable". [43] The governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, called the sexual misconduct allegations "disturbing" and "unconscionable" if true. [44] Ballard denied the accusations, saying that "they are baseless inventions designed to destroy me and the movement we have built to end the trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable children." [45]
On September 28, several former employees and former contractors released a statement through attorney Suzette Rasmussen affirming the allegations against Ballard, stating that they were "subjected to sexual harassment, spiritual manipulation, grooming, and sexual misconduct." [46] That same morning, O.U.R. released a statement confirming that they had launched an investigation into the allegations when they were first made, and that at the conclusion of that investigation, Ballard resigned. [46] [47]
Following the allegations and denunciation, Ballard's books were removed from the website and stores of his publisher Shadow Mountain Publishing and its parent company Deseret Book, which is owned by the LDS Church. Previously, his books had been criticized by scholars for inaccurate content. [48]
On October 9, 2023, a lawsuit was filed by five women who said they were coerced into sexual acts by Ballard during his sting operations. [49]
On October 11, 2023, a married couple filed a lawsuit against O.U.R. and Ballard, accusing Ballard of sexual assault and grooming. In a statement in the lawsuit, the husband alleged that Ballard wanted his wife to help O.U.R., despite her having "no training in any sort of undercover work." The lawsuit went on to state that Ballard began abusing the "couples ruse", in which Ballard had women pose undercover as his wife or girlfriend to fool traffickers on purported rescue missions, and used it as a tool for sexual grooming. [50]
On October 19, 2023, the governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, called for a criminal investigation into the allegations made against Ballard. [51]
In January 2024, one of Ballard's accusers filed additional criminal complaints of sexual assault in four California jurisdictions. [52] This was followed by a Federal suit in October under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. [53] [54]
