Sound of Freedom’s Tim Ballard is under investigation by Utah police for sexual assault – while facing lawsuits from at least six women

The founder of an anti-sex trafficking organization whose work inspired the hit film Sound of Freedom is being investigated by Utah police for sexual assault.

Tim Ballard is facing a criminal investigation after a woman filed a police report on November 1.

The accusation is the first known criminal complaint and follows civil lawsuits from at least six women who allege Ballard sexually manipulated, abused and harassed them during missions with his anti-trafficking nonprofit.

The exact details of the complaint — including the alleged incident and police actions — were not detailed in an initial contact report obtained by police. Salt Lake Grandstand.

But according to the report, “an appointment was made with a detective for the next day.” The officer added: “I have forwarded this matter to the investigation for an interview.”

Lindon Police Chief Mike Brower also confirmed the existence of the criminal investigation.

“All I can say is there was an interview,” he told the Tribune. ‘The case is still ongoing. It is an active investigation.”

It is not known whether the woman behind the criminal complaint is among the plaintiffs in the civil case. Suzette Rasmussen, their attorney, was also listed as a contact for the woman who filed the report.

She confirmed the contents of the file but declined to comment further on an ongoing investigation.

Ballard rose to prominence for his work founding Operation Underground Railroad, which claims to “lead the fight against child sexual exploitation and human trafficking worldwide.”

His work earned him a spot on a White House anti-trafficking council in 2019.

His story inspired the popular film Sound of Freedom, in which he was played by actor Jim Caviezel and had recently touted his intention to run for Senate.

However, the father of nine has suffered a major fall from grace since the women accused Ballard of sexual abuse during their time working with him on sting operations for the organization abroad.

The women claim that during these operations they were asked to pose as his wife to trick sex traffickers into thinking he was a legitimate client.

However, Ballard used the scheme to grope and sexually assault the women, insisting it was necessary to maintain the couple’s tactics, the lawsuit said.

The ruse reportedly began when Ballard took the women to strip clubs in Salt Lake to “test” their “sexual chemistry” prior to the trips. They were forced to participate in massages, escorts and lap dances — all funded by the group, the documents say.

They were then subjected to “forcible sexual contact” during the operations, including “various sexual acts, excluding actual penetration, in various states of undress,” the lawsuit alleges.

The women allege that even in private, Ballard would argue that he and his female partner had to maintain the appearance of a romantic relationship at all times in case suspected human traffickers were able to keep an eye on them at any time.”

This resulted in them pushing the women to share a bed with him or shower together, even though the accommodations were always in designated ‘safe houses’ that provided separate bedrooms and bathrooms.

Ballard allegedly sent at least one woman a photo of himself in his underwear covered in fake tattoos and asked another “how far she was willing to go” to save children, a source said.

The lawsuit also alleges that two marriages ended as a result of Ballard’s actions, offering to cover the costs of a divorce attorney for one victim.

The women said they felt compelled to remain silent because they were convinced that disclosing the unwanted contact could jeopardize their mission.

Other allegations include that the devout Mormon used ketamine while dictating revelations and believing he would one day become president and usher in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Ballard resigned from OUR amid the allegations, which he has vehemently denied.

The women allege that he used his status within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his connections to church leaders to convince them that his actions were necessary for the well-being of the children they were trying to save.

Ballard said church President M. Russell Ballard, no relation, allowed him to use the tactic “as long as no sexual intercourse or kissing occurred.”

But the religious order has since distanced itself from the former special adviser, condemning him for “unauthorized use” of the church president’s name for personal gain and “activities considered morally unacceptable.”

In a video posted to Instagram, Ballard appeared to acknowledge that some of his missions involved fake women, but claimed this was a legitimate tactic known as the “couple trick” used to fool human traffickers.

He claimed this allowed male officers to turn down offers of underage sex from traffickers by claiming their wives would disapprove, while maintaining credibility.

Ballard representatives have been contacted for comment.