A married anti-child slavery activist who was the inspiration for the “Sound of Freedom” film has been dogged by allegations he sexually harassed seven women on overseas missions and took advantage of a Mormon elder.
Tim Ballard, who founded the anti-sex trafficking organization Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R) a decade ago, abruptly resigned in June after the group started probing the sexual misconduct claims against him, Vice News reported Monday.
Sources familiar with the investigation said Ballard — who was portrayed by Jim Cavaziel onscreen in “Sound of Freedom” — had allegedly asked women to act as his “wife” on undercover missions carried out to rescue sex-trafficking victims.
He allegedly pressured women to share a bed or shower with him during the missions, suggesting it was necessary to fool the traffickers, the sources claimed.
Ballard, a former Department of Homeland Security official, was also accused of sending one woman an underwear-clad photo of himself and asking how far she was willing to go to save trafficked kids.
While Ballard’s sudden exit from O.U.R was publicly reported three months ago, neither him or the organization offered up an explanation at the time.
The outcome of the investigation wasn’t immediately clear.
Ballard hasn’t publicly addressed the sexual harassment allegations.
A spokesperson for O.U.R also wouldn’t address the claims leveled against Ballard, but said in a statement Monday that the organization “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.”
Prior to the allegations being made public, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — of which Ballard is a member — had put out a statement accusing the activist of exploiting his relationship with Mormon elder, M Russell Ballard, to promote personal and financial interests.
The church, without elaborating, denounced Ballard’s activity as “morally unacceptable.”
“President Ballard and Tim Ballard (no relation) established a friendship a number of years ago,” the church’s statement said.
“Once it became clear Tim Ballard had betrayed their friendship, through the unauthorized use of President Ballard’s name for Tim Ballard’s personal advantage and activity regarded as morally unacceptable, President Ballard withdrew his association.”
“President Ballard never authorized his name, or the name of the Church, to be used for Tim’s personal or financial interests,” the statement continued.
Ballard, who is weighing a run for a US Senate seat in Utah, lashed out over the weekend, denying that he exploited his relationship with the church elder.
“Everything you hear is not true,” he said in footage obtained by FOX13. “President Ballard is like a grandfather to me. … Never in my life, ever, have I used his name to raise money, to make some business deal. It never happened.”
He added: “This is breaking down my family like you can’t believe.”
Ballard went on to say he didn’t believe the statement condemning him had actually come from the church — despite it being released by an official spokesperson.
In a follow-up statement released on his behalf by The Spear Fund, an organization he now serves as a senior adviser, Ballard doubled down on that claim.
“It has been alleged that an unnamed LDS church spokesperson issued a statement about me through a tabloid that is often hostile to people of faith. Further, my church has not publicly verified its authenticity,” he said.
“We are also highly suspicious about the timing of such a statement given its close proximity to Mitt Romney’s announcement that he is retiring, and my own public comments that I am prayerfully considering running for public office. The LDS church does not engage in political activity.
“In any event, nothing will change my core beliefs. If someone within the church did release this statement, I am absolutely confident that the right people will step in and ensure that proper due process is followed as the rules of our church dictate.”
His statement did not address the sexual misconduct allegations.