'Sound of Freedom' movie subject Tim Ballard speaks out on sexual misconduct allegations

Tim Ballard, the former federal agent who took on child sex-trafficking and inspired the movie "Sound of Freedom," has denied a report he left his Operation Underground Railroad organization amid multiple claims of sexual misconduct.

On Monday, Vice reported that Ballard, the group's founder, resigned three months ago after an internal investigation into allegations involving seven women.

“As with all of the assaults on my character and integrity over many years, the latest tabloid-driven sexual allegations are false," Ballard said in a statement sent to USA TODAY by The Spear Fund, an anti-human trafficking group. "They are baseless inventions designed to destroy me and the movement we have built to end the trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable children."

Sources who asked to remain anonymous “because they fear retaliation” told Vice that Ballard invited female employees to act as his “wife” on undercover overseas missions aimed at rescuing young victims of sex trafficking. Ballard would coerce the women into sharing a bed or showering together, claiming that that was necessary to fool traffickers, Vice reported.

Ballard denied the accusations in his statement, saying he had "strict guidelines for myself and our operators in the field."

"Sexual contact was prohibited, and I led by example. Given our meticulous attention to this issue, any suggestion of inappropriate sexual contact is categorically false," Ballard's statement said.

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"Sound of Freedom," starring Jim Caviezel, follows the purportedly true story of Ballard's transformation from U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent to anti child-sex-trafficking crusader. The surprise summer hit earned $183 million at the North American box office.

USA TODAY has reached out to Angel Studios, which produced "Sound of Freedom," for comment.

O.U.R. provided USA TODAY with a detailed statement confirming a "comprehensive investigation," without identifying Ballard as the subject.

"O.U. R. is dedicated to combatting sexual abuse, and does not tolerate sexual harassment or discrimination by anyone in its organization," the statement said. "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.

"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," the statement said.

The O.U.R. statement confirmed that "Tim Ballard resigned from O.U.R. on June 22, 2023.  He has permanently separated from O.U.R."

Since its July 4 release, “Sound of Freedom” has been criticized on multiple fronts. Critics say the drama features misleading depictions of child exploitation and point to Caviezel's association with right-wing conspiracy theories purported by the QAnon movement.