Former Homeland Security special agent Tim Ballard, who inspired the hit movie Sound of Freedom, has been accused of sexual misconduct involving seven women, Vice News has reported.
According to the outlet, Ballard, who in 2013 set up his anti-child-trafficking organization Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), invited women to act as his "wife" during undercover overseas missions to rescue trafficking victims.
Citing sources, Vice News has reported that Ballard allegedly sent a photo of himself in his underwear to one woman, while he is accused of asking another "how far she was willing to go" to save children.
Newsweek contacted Ballard through Angel Studios, which was behind Sound of Freedom, via email for comment on Tuesday.
Ballard's profile has notably risen in recent months, following the July 4 release of Sound of Freedom, a dramatized version of his efforts that sees him portrayed by Jim Caviezel. It also appears that Ballard is now mulling a run for Senate.
Last week, Vice News reported that Ballard has fallen out of favor with prominent leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Per a statement from the church, ties have been severed over Ballard's "morally unacceptable" behavior.
According to Salt Lake City Fox affiliate KSTU, Ballard responded to the church allegations while making a speech in Boston. "It's not true, nothing you hear is true," he told the crowd. "This is breaking down my family like you can't believe."
Responding to the sexual misconduct allegations, a spokesperson for OUR told Newsweek: "Tim Ballard resigned from O.U.R. on June 22, 2023. He has permanently separated from O.U.R. O.U.R. is dedicated to combatting sexual abuse, and does not tolerate sexual harassment or discrimination by anyone in its organization.
"O.U.R. retained an independent law firm to conduct a comprehensive investigation of all relevant allegations, and O.U.R. continues to assess and improve the governance of the organization and protocols for its operations."
The statement continued: "To preserve the integrity of its investigation and to protect the privacy of all persons involved, O.U.R. will not make any further public comment at this time.
"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."
Since his departure from OUR, Ballard is listed as a senior adviser on rescue operations at new anti-trafficking organization The SPEAR Fund.
Newsweek has contacted the SPEAR Fund via its website for comment.
OUR was the subject of a Vice News investigation back in 2020, which accused the group of conflating the truth of their missions. The report at the time made links to the success of OUR being aided by the rise of QAnon conspiracy theorists.
The radical conspiracy theory group previously asserted that former President Donald Trump would expose a secret cabal of high-profile satanic child abusers as president, and then order their arrest and executions. Both Caviezel and Ballard have dismissed accusations that the film is trying to appeal to QAnon supporters.
Meanwhile, Ballard—who served on an anti-trafficking White House advisory council during Trump's presidency between late 2019 and 2020—recently revealed that he is "very seriously considering" running for Mitt Romney's Utah Senate seat.
Speaking with Sean Spicer on The Sean Spicer Show, Ballard said that he was asked "several weeks ago" by "very influential people" to consider running for the seat, which Romney recently said he would vacate at the end of his term.
Utah-based Ballard also said that the success of Sound of Freedom, and his subsequent fame, have made it all but impossible for him to continue his undercover work, making a move to the Senate an attractive step.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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