'Sound of Freedom' Subject Tim Ballard Facing Sexual Misconduct Investigation

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The team behind 'Sound of Freedom' has remained silent so far on new allegations involving the real-life subject of the film, Tim Ballard. On Monday, a Vice News report detailed anonymous allegations against Ballard relating to his quiet exit in late June from the organization, which he launched in 2013. His departure came as Angel Studios was readying 'Sound of Freedom' for release over the July Fourth holiday.

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00:00The team behind Sound of Freedom has remained silent so far on new allegations involving the

00:04real-life subject of the film, Tim Ballard. Actor Jim Caviezel portrays Ballard in the

00:09movie, which has grossed more than $182 million domestically and $210 million worldwide.

00:15Ballard, a former Department of Homeland Security official, is the founder of the

00:19anti-child trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad. On Monday, a Vice News report detailed

00:24anonymous allegations against Ballard relating to his quiet exit in late June from the organization

00:29which he launched in 2013. His departure came as Angel Studios was readying Sound of Freedom for

00:35release over the July 4th holiday. Ballard embarked on undercover overseas missions to fight child

00:39trafficking upon starting Operation Underground Railroad. According to Vice, he brought women

00:44to pose as his wife on these missions and allegedly coerced them to share a bed or shower with him

00:48under the guise that these behaviors were needed to fool child traffickers. Vice also reported that

00:53an Operation Underground Railroad employee who traveled with Ballard on an overseas mission

00:57filed a sexual harassment claim against him. Ballard has not responded directly to the allegations and

01:02did not respond to THR's request for comment. Sound of Freedom filmmaker Alejandro Monteverde did not

01:07respond to a request for comment Monday, neither did Angel Studios. An Operation Underground Railroad

01:12spokesperson made the following statement to THR, which read in part,

01:15Tim Ballard resigned from OUR on June 22, 2023. He is permanently separated from OUR. OUR is dedicated

01:23to combating sexual abuse and does not tolerate sexual harassment or discrimination by anyone in

01:28its organization. OUR retained an independent law firm to conduct a comprehensive investigation of all

01:34relevant allegations. And OUR continues to assess and improve the governance of the organization and

01:39protocols for its operations. For more on this story and the latest updates, head to THR.com.

01:44This is The Hollywood Reporter News.

'Sound of Freedom' Subject Tim Ballard Facing Sexual Misconduct Investigation | THR News Video

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