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SALT LAKE CITY — Operation Underground Railroad founder Tim Ballard sexually assaulted several women and made fraudulent statements about the so-called "couples ruse" to coerce them into sexual contact, according to a lawsuit filed in Salt Lake City Monday.
Five women — identified in the lawsuit only by pseudonym initials until "a proper protective order is in place" — say Ballard "engaged in coerced sexual contact" in the name of rescuing trafficked children, and exploited the women's religious beliefs by telling them such behavior was OK as he believed he was to become a future president of the United States and future president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"When these women found themselves questioning the legitimacy of tactics involving sexual contact, they often doubted their own instincts, relying on Ballard's breadth of knowledge about rescue mission to convince themselves that such tactics were normal," the lawsuit filed in 3rd District Court alleges.
Ballard has previously denied any sexual misconduct allegations, dismissing them as "false," "baseless inventions designed to destroy me and the movement we have built to end the trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable children."
Operation Underground Railroad and the SPEAR Fund — where Ballard now serves as a senior adviser — were both named as defendants alongside Ballard, and did not initially respond to requests for comment.
Mark L. Eisenhut, an attorney for the SPEAR Fund, issued the following statement to KSL.com on Tuesday: "The SPEAR Fund did not exist during the time of the alleged conduct and had nothing to do with it. Mr. Ballard vehemently denies the allegations brought by these unnamed women. He looks forward to vindicating his name in the courts where evidence, and not unsubstantiated accusations in the media, decides the outcome."
What the allegations say
In response to similar allegations that Ballard pressured undercover operatives who were posing as his wife while on rescue missions to get in the shower together or share a bed with him, Ballard explained that such a "couples ruse" was designed to give cover to men posing as child traffickers, by giving them a plausible reason to not "partake" if a trafficker offered to "put a child to service on that person."
The lawsuit, however, claims Ballard frequently asked women to "practice" the ruse before missions in order to achieve physical chemistry between them.
"To that end, Ballard flew women across the country, where they would 'practice' their sexual chemistry through tantric yoga, couples massages with escorts and lap dancing on Ballard's lap," the lawsuit states.
The plaintiffs allege Ballard wanted to keep up the ruse at all times, even when inside private accommodations, and asked the women: "Is there anything you wouldn't do to save a child?"
Ballard "participated in several sexual acts ... in various states of undress," according to the lawsuit. "Ballard would also tell the women that engaging in sex play with him would improve their marriage, even as he also told them not to tell their husbands about what they were doing." The suit also alleges that "at least two marriages have broken up as a result of Tim Ballard's actions with these women."
One of the plaintiffs, MK, said she met Ballard while working as a makeup artist on production sets, and said he was "very persistent" in having her come along for an undercover mission.
In a statement included with the lawsuit, MK said Ballard interviewed her to pose as his "girlfriend," and said she needed to prove they had a strong enough connection. "He stared at me and said you can't touch me but need to show me what you can do to basically 'turn me on enough' that (he) would want to have sex with me," MK said.
She alleges that in later text messages to her, Ballard said he wanted her to join the mission and to be OK with several scenarios, including Ballard touching her underneath her swimsuit if they were in a hot tub together, potentially showering together and others.
The lawsuit also says Ballard's close friendship with Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes — who has "repeatedly vouched for OUR and Tim Ballard" — has given "credibility to Ballard and OUR that was not warranted," and given "cover of the top law enforcement officer in the state of Utah to carry out his purposes, including the couples ruse, even while consumer complaints and criminal investigations were pouring into his office regarding the improprieties of OUR and Ballard."
Former Operations Underground Railroad staffers alleged that Ballard may have misled donors about the organization's purported "rescue" missions, according to investigative documents from the Davis County Attorney's Office obtained by KSL.com through a public records request with Reyes' office.
"The Attorney General's Office did not receive any criminal complaints or requests for investigation regarding OUR or Tim Ballard as alleged in the complaint," said Rich Piatt, Reyes' spokesman.
'Spiritual manipulation'
Many of the women accusing Ballard are Latter-day Saints, according to the lawsuit, and they say Ballard used "spiritual manipulation to coerce them into sexual contact," falsely claiming that he had been given permission by church leaders to do the couples ruse "as long as there was no sexual intercourse or kissing on the lips."
Ballard claimed that a passage from the Book of Mormon, "in which a man kills another man on the promptings of the Holy Spirit, demonstrates that sometimes the Holy Spirit asks people to perform 'unconventional' tasks," the lawsuit states.
The plaintiffs allege that Ballard claimed he would converse through a psychic with an ancient Book of Mormon prophet Nephi, and that he prophesied of Ballard's future as a U.S. senator, U.S. president and president of the church "to usher in the second coming of Jesus Christ." Ballard has said he's considering running for Sen. Mitt Romney's seat in 2024.
Ballard also allegedly developed a ploy where he would "tell the women that if they were offered alcohol ... that she should take the drink," but kiss him with an open mouth to transfer the alcohol into his mouth, which he would then "spit out when the traffickers were not looking," according to the lawsuit, which also accuses Ballard of consuming "excessive amounts" of tequila, which he "drank at strip clubs, massage parlors, and on trips, to the point of passing out."
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a rare rebuke of Ballard last month, saying President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — who is not related to Tim Ballard — withdrew his association after "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."
Several female Operation Underground Railroad employees came forward to the company with the allegations earlier this year, according to the complaint, which says Tim Ballard was terminated from the organization after a law firm verified the claims.
Allegations against Operation Underground Railroad
While the complaint focused primarily on Ballard's alleged actions, the plaintiffs also name Operation Underground Railroad and the SPEAR Fund, along with several other corporations and individuals as defendants in the suit.
The complaint alleges that the couples ruse was "institutional doctrine" of Operation Underground Railroad and its affiliated companies and was done with the knowledge of the companies.
Operation Underground Railroad's board of directors opposed firing Ballard after the investigation, but the lawsuit alleges that "a joint plan was hatched between OUR and Ballard, whereby he would resign ostensibly because of the appearance of a conflict of interest" around the release of the film "Sound of Freedom," which is based on Ballard's career with the Department of Homeland Security.
"With his image intact, Ballard began the SPEAR Fund, where he is able to continue raising money from well-intentioned people wanting to end human trafficking," the lawsuit says. "OUR remained silent, using his face and the worldwide opening tour of 'Sound of Freedom' to raise money, and allowing Ballard to continue his grooming, drinking and sexual deviancy; all on the donors' dime."
In previous statements to KSL.com, Operation Underground Railroad has said Ballard resigned following an independent investigation, and emphasized that it remains committed to its efforts "to rescue any and all from the scourge of human trafficking."
