Tim Ballard Faces a Lawsuit

After months of high-profile controversy and accusations that date back even further than that, Tim Ballard, the founder of Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) and the subject of the summer blockbuster “Sound of Freedom,” will face his accusers in court. During a December 2020 podcast of “Mormon Stories,” Utah journalist Lynn Packer aired allegations regarding Ballard and OUR that included irresponsible spending, sexual and drug abuse, and lying to the public and donors about OUR operations. Through OUR, Ballard has enjoyed support from people such as Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes and media personality Glenn Beck.

An 89-page lawsuit was filed against Ballard by his five accusers Monday in Utah’s Third District Court. It names not only Ballard and OUR but other individuals and entities with ties to the organization. Also named in the suit is Janet Russon, who according to a report on Salt Lake TV station Fox-13, is an alleged psychic who supposedly helped Ballard locate victims and plan operations. The same story said that Ballard maintained that Russon communicated with the prophet Nephi, who is a prominent figure in the Book of Mormon. The suit alleges that:

Ballard has authored at least three purported historical books promoting Mormon Nationalism that have been published and sold by the Mormon Church-owned Deseret Book, which were big sellers in the Mormon community and further created the myth of Tim Ballard. Ballard’s enmeshment with the Mormon Church further provided him credibility and status in Utah, where the Mormon Church is the largest and founding denomination of the State. Tim Ballard became friends with Glenn Beck, an American conservative political commentator, radio host, entrepreneur, and television producer. Glenn Beck donated significant amounts of money to begin OUR. Tim Ballard and Glenn Beck formed Defendant company Nazarene to fight Christian causes across the globe, and Beck gave Ballard almost unlimited access to the Glenn Beck media network, which further contributed to Ballard’s credibility. Tim Ballard became friends with Tony Robbins, an American author, coach, and speaker, who raised staggering amounts of money for Ballard. Documentaries were made of Tim Ballard and OUR, and in 2023, a feature film produced by Mormon-based Angel Studios called, Sound of Freedom was released. The film claimed to portray the work Tim Ballard has done, and the movie has been hugely successful across the globe, adding to the myth of Tim Ballard. (sic)

The suit also details Ballard’s relationship with the Trump administration, Reyes, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

The suit accuses Ballard of underreporting his income to the IRS. But some of the most eye-opening of the accusations are that he used what is called a “couples ruse” when he would visit other countries to rescue children. The idea of a couples ruse is that the woman who accompanied Ballard would pretend to be his wife or girlfriend, which would allow him to beg off proportions from traffickers while in public places. The suit claims that Ballard took advantage of the women’s desire to rescue trafficked children to groom them (the women) for sexual activity. It is alleged that Ballard invited these women to shower with him or share his bed. Ballard is also accused of flying women across the country to practice sexual chemistry through the use of tantric yoga, escorts, couples massages, and lap dancing for Ballard. Ballard is also accused of taking the women to Salt Lake strip clubs and telling them that if they had an alcoholic drink, they should spit it into his mouth while kissing him to avoid drinking it. It is further alleged that he paid for drinks, lap dances, and pills using money from OUR. He is also accused of engaging in actual sexual contact with the women while on OUR operations. You can read the entire document with all of the allegations below.

Timothy Ballard Lawsuit by PJ Media on Scribd

Ballard has long been a notable name and a source of pride in Utah because of his fight against human trafficking and his membership in the LDS church. He has continued to maintain his innocence, and at least one woman has come forward to state that her experience with Ballard was strictly above board. Many of Ballard’s supporters stand with him and believe that the accusations arose on the heels of the success of “Sound of Freedom” and Ballard’s announcement that he planned to run for the Senate seat that will be vacated by Mitt Romney.

I find the allegations against Tim Ballard deeply troubling. I can only hope that truth prevails, justice is served, and all involved will use the free gift of Christ and repent, turn to him, correct their errors, and let the atonement of Jesus Christ work miracles in their lives. It is the only thing that can repair brokenness. My intentions, and those of the thousands in my audience who have generously contributed to O.U.R., were to help save God’s children from the scourge of human trafficking. May the Lord heal this mess so that this important work can continue.

I’ll level with you. I don’t want the allegations to be true. And not because Ballard is a local hero. As I have said before, I met the man once, and the exchange lasted about five minutes. I know nothing about the man or his life. So I am in no position to excoriate or vindicate him.

But it has been alleged by some of Ballard’s detractors that the issue of human trafficking is not that important. And after the release of “Sound of Freedom,” some left-wing publications dismissed the issue as overblown. Readers who have been with me from the start know that years ago, I traveled to Cambodia on a church-sponsored awareness mission about human trafficking. I met girls as young as five who had been used in the sex trade. I have seen firsthand the many ways that this evil industry can destroy lives and the effort it takes to put those lives back together again. This problem can in no way be discounted. If the accusations are untrue, then that needs to be shouted from the rooftops. On the other hand, if Ballard is guilty of the things of which he has been accused, then he will have only given the skeptics more ammunition and another route to spread disinformation about human trafficking. And he will have made the work more difficult for people who break their backs and hearts every day to save children. In either case, justice needs to be done and the truth needs to be made public.