Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said he was “shocked” by allegations recently made public against Tim Ballard, founder of Operation Underground Railroad, and hopes there will be “justice for all involved.”
Reyes’ Friday morning statement follows a Thursday press conference in which several former OUR employees and contractors spoke out publicly for the first time.
Commenting anonymously through an attorney, the group of women said they wanted to “affirm the truth” of recently reported allegations against Ballard, and claimed the anti-human trafficking activist had subjected at least several women to “sexual harassment, spiritual manipulation, grooming, and sexual misconduct” during their involvement with OUR.
Reyes’ statement says, in full:
I am shocked and deeply saddened by these allegations, but these women must be heard to ensure all credible evidence can be presented. Such evidence should be appropriately considered by any tribunal that can weigh them against contrary evidence or defenses of the accused. I sincerely hope there is due process and justice for all involved.
Until we know more through the resolution of these cases and complaints, I strongly believe that Tim Ballard and OUR deserve a presumption of innocence just as women coming forward on these issues should have a presumption of credibility.
Beyond that, I won’t comment on the accusations made yesterday because I was not present to witness any of the alleged conduct. I don’t have any information that can prove or disprove these claims.
I can say that in all my interactions with Tim Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad over many years, I have never seen or experienced anything improper or illegal.
To the contrary, what I have witnessed and the work we have done together raising awareness of modern-day slavery, rescuing children and providing aftercare services has made, I believe, a positive impact in the world.
The Utah AG’s Office will continue to do the difficult but critical work of combating human trafficking and other forms of exploitation through the investigations, prosecutions and victim advocacy of its SECURE Strike Force, Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce (ICAC), Children’s Justice Centers and the Utah Trafficking in Persons Task Force.
Reyes’ remarks come as Ballard and his work with OUR have been put under renewed scrutiny after multiple allegations were released from a now-closed Davis County investigation, and complaints filed to OUR were reported on by Vice News in September.
The attorney general is a longtime supporter of OUR and has often commented on his friendship with Ballard, the organization’s former CEO.
In 2014, Reyes joined Ballard on a secret trip to Colombia as part of an undercover mission to rescue child sex slaves, as reported by the Deseret News. According to Reyes’ retelling, they successfully performed a sting operation by posing as wealthy investors in a cartel’s plan to build a child sex hotel in the Rosaria Islands off the coast of Cartagena, resulting in the rescue of 54 children.
In 2020, Reyes spoke at a St. George march against human trafficking organized by OUR. Reyes said the organization had played an important role in improving Utah’s approach to anti-human trafficking law enforcement.
Earlier this month, following Utah Sen. Mitt Romney’s announcement he would not be seeking reelection, Reyes said he would not enter the U.S. Senate race in Utah but teased an endorsement of a future candidate who was widely speculated to be Ballard.
“That opens up an opportunity for a dear friend of mine who is a great conservative, patriot, and warrior to run and serve as the next Senator from Utah. This person will be making an announcement in the days to come and I will be standing alongside this servant leader on a journey to the United States Senate,” Reyes said in a Sept. 13 post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Ballard confirmed three days later on the “Sean Spicer Show” he was considering a 2024 U.S. Senate run in Utah.
However, in addition to Friday’s statement, Reyes’ general consultant Alan Crooks said, “In light of so many unanswered questions and concerns, AG Reyes will not be endorsing anyone in Utah’s 2024 U.S. Senate race.”
Ballard, whose life was the inspiration behind the movie “Sound of Freedom,” previously responded to reporting of his alleged sexual misconduct in a statement in which he says the allegations against him are “categorically false.”
“As with all of the assaults on my character and integrity over many years, the latest tabloid-driven sexual allegations are false. They are baseless inventions designed to destroy me and the movement we have built to end the trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable children,” the statement says.
“During my time at O.U.R., I designed 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.”