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BOARDMAN -- Tim Ballard, a controversial figure whose efforts to stop sex trafficking inspired a movie, said the film has greatly increased awareness for his cause.
Ballard, who was the keynote speaker at a Mahoning County Republican Party fundraiser Tuesday, said "Sound of Freedom" has made many more people aware of sex trafficking.
Until the movie, "no one (wanted) to hear about or talk about something so dark," Ballard said in an interview before the event. "How do you get people to take an interest in something so dark?"
Ballard said he told filmmakers when they approached him eight years ago about doing the movie that "people don't want to hear stories about the worst thing in the world."
Since the success of the film, Ballard said he's been able to set up anti-trafficking task forces "in a month that would have taken five years."
Ballard said he is giving serious consideration to running for an open U.S. Senate seat in Utah next year.
The film has "opened up opportunities and I'm weighing where's the best (path) I can take to rescue more children," he said.
Ballard's work with Operation Underground Railroad, an anti-sex trafficking organization he founded 10 years ago, inspired "Sound of Freedom."
Mahoning County Republican Chairman Tom McCabe said after seeing the movie, he worked to get Ballard to speak at a party event because child trafficking is an important issue to Republicans.
"The movie was so powerful," McCabe said.
About 380 tickets were sold for Tuesday's fundraiser with Ballard at Mr. Anthony's banquet facility in Boardman, McCabe said. There were 600 tickets available.
"It wasn't political so it was tougher to sell tickets," McCabe said. "I'm still happy with close to 400. Eight to 10 years ago, we would have killed for 200."
After the film became a major commercial success, with a box office of more than $180 million since its July 4 release, it's was reported that Ballard left OUR about two weeks prior to the opening of the movie as the result of an investigation into his alleged inappropriate behavior.
OUR said in a statement on Thursday that it "received an allegation of behavior that violated company policy by then-CEO Tim Ballard. The organization immediately placed Mr. Ballard on administrative leave and launched an independent, external investigation of the allegation. At the conclusion of the investigation, as previously stated by OUR, Mr. Ballard resigned. Mr. Ballard's alleged misconduct does not represent OUR's values or others within the organization."
Later that day, attorney Suzette Rasmussen, representing "several" former OUR female employees, accused Ballard of subjecting the women to "sexual harassment, spiritual manipulation, grooming and sexual misconduct." She declined to give specifics and kept the names of her clients confidential.
Vice News reported Sept. 18 that OUR investigated claims from earlier this year of sexual misconduct from at least seven women, who contend Ballard coerced them into sharing his bed and showering with him under the guise of being his wife as a way to fool child sex traffickers.
Asked Tuesday about the allegations, Ballard said: "I don't understand it. I don't have context for it. I don't even know these people. I can't fight a phantom. I don't even know who they are so how can I defend myself against that?"
Ballard said he says the claims are not true.
"It's hard to answer a question when you don't know the people," he said. "Imagine being accused of something and you don't even know who the person is. I can't even defend against no context."
Ballard declined to say that his notoriety since the film is what led to the allegations.
"The timing is what it is, but these things never came to light before and they're coming to light at the peak of the success of 'Sound of Freedom,'" he said. "Is it a coincidence? I will let your readers decide. I don't want to be definitive. I'm very respectful of anyone who feels I have wronged them. I'd love to hear how I did that, but without people or context I don't know how to respond. You can't respond."
McCabe said he hadn't heard of the recent allegations and deferred comment to Ballard.
After spending 12 years as a special agent for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, mostly investigating child trafficking cases, Ballard founded OUR, a private foundation, to rescue trafficked children in other countries.
OUR's website states it "does not conduct or participate in investigations, operations or enforcement actions in the United States" though it offers resources to assist U.S. law enforcement officers.
Ballard is senior adviser of rescue operations for the Spear Fund, which collaborates with and funds anti-trafficking organizations.
"I'm not an employee or an executive there," he said. "I advise other funds too. We're not a rescue organization. We identify rescue organizations."
Mahoning County Democratic Chairman Chris Anderson said: "The men and women that do the work of fighting human trafficking are heroes. (Mahoning Republicans) could have picked any of them to honor and I would have applauded them and wished them luck. I would have even chipped in because human traffickers are the scum of the earth and the people who fight it deserve to be celebrated. Instead, they are spending huge amounts of donor money to honor a man allegedly forced to resign from his organization for exploiting his position to sexually" harass women.
dskolnick@vindy.com
dskolnick@tribtoday.com