Tim Ballard

Timothy Ballard is the founder and former CEO of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.), an anti-sex trafficking organization. The 2023 thriller film Sound of Freedom stars Jim Caviezel in the role of Ballard who embarks on a mission to rescue children from sex traffickers. The film became one of the highest-grossing independent releases of 2023, earning over $250 million worldwide and bringing widespread public attention to the issue of child sex trafficking. Ballard was removed as CEO and forced to leave O.U.R. in July 2023 amid accusations of sexual misconduct by multiple employees. In a December 2023 statement, O.U.R. said an independent law firm reached the conclusion that Ballard had "engaged in unprofessional behavior that violated O.U.R.'s policies and values". In November 2025, prosecutors in Salt Lake City declined to file charges against Ballard, saying there was "insufficient admissible evidence."