‘Sound of Freedom’ Team Remains Silent on New Allegations Against Real-Life Subject Tim Ballard

The team behind The sound of freedom has remained silent so far on new allegations involving Tim Ballard, who is portrayed in the film as a hero by The passion of Christ’by Jim Caviezel.

Ballard, founder of the anti-child trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad, reached new heights of fame this summer when his film became a surprise hit that grossed more than $182 million domestically and $210 million worldwide.

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Monday, a Vice News reports detailed anonymous allegations against Ballard regarding his quiet departure in late June from OUR, which he launched in 2013. His departure came as The sound of freedom Filmmaker Alejandro Monteverde and Angel Studios were preparing the film for release during the July 4 holiday.

Ballard, a former Department of Homeland Security official, has been working undercover missions overseas to combat child trafficking since OUR’s inception. ViceHe brought in women to pose as his wife on these missions and allegedly forced them to share a bed or shower with him under the pretext that this behavior was necessary to deceive child traffickers.

Vice It was also reported that a NOTRE employee who traveled with Ballard on an overseas assignment filed a sexual harassment complaint against him.

On Tuesday, after the story was initially published, Ballard issued a denial.

“Like all attacks on my character and integrity over many years, the latest sexual allegations being reported by the tabloids are false. They are baseless fabrications designed to destroy me and the movement we have built to end the trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable children,” Ballard said. “During my time at OUR, I developed strict guidelines for myself and our field operators. 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.”

Filmmaker Monteverde did not respond to a request for comment Monday. Neither did Angel Studios.

An OUR spokesperson issued the following statement to THRwhich read in part: “Tim Ballard resigned from OUR effective June 22, 2023. He has permanently separated from OUR. OUR is dedicated to combating sexual abuse and does not tolerate sexual harassment or discrimination by anyone within its organization. OUR has retained an independent law firm to conduct a thorough investigation into all relevant allegations, and OUR continues to evaluate and improve the organization’s governance and operating protocols.”

The sound of freedomThe film’s box office performance was partly due to a grassroots campaign by Angel that made audiences feel like they were part of a movement to end child trafficking. The screenings included a message at the end of the screening from Caviezel in which he urged audience members to use a Pay It Forward service to purchase tickets so other viewers could see the film. While the film has been discussed on QAnon forums, Angel and the filmmakers have disputed that it is a QAnon film, or even that it is political.

Ballard is an ally of Donald Trump, who hosted a private screening of the film in mid-July in New Jersey. Ballard has recently discussed running for Mitt Romney’s Senate seat when Romney’s term ends.

In a column dated August 14 for The Hollywood ReporterDirector Monteverde and co-writer Rod Barr wrote: “Anyone who has seen The sound of freedom “The film itself is not political. It is based on the story of a real person, Tim Ballard, who left his job at Homeland Security to rescue trafficked children. Throughout the development, research, and writing of the story, we do not recall a single conversation with Tim about politics. Why? Because personal politics should be irrelevant when it comes to saving children from human trafficking.”

September 19, 10:12 a.m. Updated with statement from Tim Ballard.

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