BREAKING- A message from Tim Ballard and Utah AGO Statement on Tim Ballard Lawsuits
The Spear Fund and a message from the Utah AG
The Ballard Family and The SPEAR Fund Issue Statement on Anniversary of Historic Island Rescue in Colombia
Link:
(SALT LAKE CITY, UT—October 11, 2023)—The SPEAR Fund—an organization funding and defending efforts to end child-trafficking in our time—is releasing a statement on behalf of Senior Advisor Tim Ballard and his wife Katherine:
TIM BALLARD POSES WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY DURING THE PREMIERE OF "SOUND OF FREEDOM" ON JUNE 28, 2023 IN VINEYARD, UTAH. (PHOTO BY FRED HAYES/GETTY IMAGES FOR ANGEL STUDIOS)
“It was 9 years ago today that 120 women and children were rescued from evil and conspiring traffickers on a remote island in Colombia, as depicted in the hit movie SOUND OF FREEDOM.
“These women and children have names and faces; they are real people. They tragically call to mind the innocent women and children who are pawns in the horrific events in Israel at the hands of the terrorist group Hamas.
“We regret that the five women who have come forward—though still without names and faces—are caught up in this difficult struggle we face together. Two of these women went on actual Operation Underground Railroad operations. One went on a single operation, and the other woman repeatedly put herself in harm’s way. Three did not go on any actual operations, as they did not make it through the training and certification process.
“We know from repeatedly speaking to this one veteran operator of her authentic concern for other operators, for Tim, and for OUR. You have assured us privately that you would bravely do it again, and aren’t sure how we could have changed things in the terror of the moment. You told us that OUR, its leadership and teams were learning as they went, but that you felt that the cause was too important and urgent.
“And it still is.
“When we started Spear Fund, Tim agreed that he is permanently retiring from undercover rescue operations, and is instead working to apply the lessons learned in the field to help other operators improve the process going forward. We start with recognition of the post trauma inflicted on all those who went in harm’s way, and know that there are years of healing needed ahead.
“But like the wars going on right now overseas, healing and caring for the wounded must be done while the battle rages on.
“Rescuing kids and exposing those behind the powerful, well-funded child trafficking cartels is an ugly and dark business and leaves unintended consequences, which we all are finding out. Who would have thought we would now be fighting amongst ourselves while these evils are rapidly escalating all around us?
“It’s evident that those who are behind these cartels have clearly woken up to the light that is being shed on their dark activities. We had no idea how much influence they had with so many powerful people and organizations in the United States.
“But we do now.
“SOUND OF FREEDOM brought Providential awareness about the global scourge of child sex slavery. We must awaken to the awfulness of what we face and move swiftly and courageously to action. It’s time for accountability and integrity, unity and forgiveness, and constructive action like never before in our lifetime.”
“Please join us, more to come.”
With warm affection—Tim and Katherine Ballard.
More about the Spear Fund HERE.
UPDATED to include Utah AG Reyes statement on the Tim Ballard lawsuit
https://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/utah-ago-statement-on-tim-ballard-lawsuits/
October 11, 2023
The Utah Attorney General’s Office (UAGO) addresses several recent media inquiries and questions, including those regarding a civil lawsuit filed this week against Tim Ballard, Operation Underground Railroad, and other defendants (the “Complaint”) as follows:
The Utah Attorney General was not named as a defendant in the Complaint. He was mentioned in paragraphs 46-48 as a supporter of Mr. Ballard whose support was purportedly used to take certain actions as alleged in the Complaint. The AG has no knowledge of how or if his name or title may have been used to add credibility to the misconduct alleged in the Complaint. If the allegations are true, and had he known of such alleged behavior, he would not have allowed use of his name and would have strongly condemned such actions.
As he articulated in a prior personal statement, he only observed conduct that was positive, productive and legal in his interactions with OUR and Mr. Ballard. He does not have any personal knowledge of what happened between Mr. Ballard and the plaintiffs as articulated in the Complaint. The UAGO will not speculate on matters and recommends letting the facts, claims and defenses be addressed through the judicial process and cases filed.
Until the Vice article in September of 2023, the AG had never heard of any alleged sexual conduct as addressed in the Complaint, including what has been described in detail as the “Couple’s Ruse.” To be clear, he was aware that on operations there were sometimes operators posing as couples and that arrangement, itself, was a deception or ruse, but he never had any direct or indirect knowledge of the sexual actions alleged in the Complaint.
The UAGO strongly disputes the characterization in the Complaint that “consumer complaints and criminal investigations were pouring into his (the AG’s) office regarding the improprieties of OUR and Ballard.” None of the senior leadership in the UAGO could recall a single request for investigation, consumer complaint, or any substantive complaint at all until the Vice story broke in September. The UAGO is reviewing documents internally to see if there was ever any complaint made to any part of the office.
In 2020, the Davis County Attorney contacted the UAGO regarding the source of and use of ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) funds in Davis County. The UAGO provided documentation and other information and believed the matter was closed.
In an abundance of caution, AG Reyes and the UAGO agreed to create a screen whereby AG Reyes would make no decisions on behalf of the UAGO pertaining to Davis County, Tim Ballard or OUR should any further matters arise. That screen went into effect in December 2020 and remains in place to this day. Spencer Austin, Chief Criminal Deputy for the UAGO, has had final authority for the office since that time on any decisions pertaining to Davis County’s inquiry into OUR and Mr. Ballard.
At some point, before he dismissed the case in 2023 against Mr. Ballard, the Davis County Attorney indicated to the UAGO that he and/or the FBI had an investigation into other OUR matters not covered in the Complaint. That is the only criminal investigation the UAGO has ever been aware of pertaining to Mr. Ballard.
We have spoken with the Department of Commerce’s Division of Consumer Protection (DCP), which has the primary responsibility to regulate non-profits in Utah, and have proactively instituted a normal and proper recusal screen. Recognizing that there are or may be individuals who maintain that they were harmed by OUR and/or Mr. Ballard in some way, those individuals may choose to file a complaint with the DCP through its website: https://db.dcp.utah.gov/complaints.html or by contacting the DCP at (801) 530-6601. The DCP is represented by a group of assistant attorneys general (AAGs) who have been screened off from the AG and key members of his staff who may have some connection with the defendants. Accordingly, the AG will not be involved in the investigation or resolution of those cases, just as he has not been involved in the UAGO’s interaction with the Davis County inquiries, since 2020, to avoid even the appearance of improper influence or favoritism.
Contrary to certain reporting, there was never a criminal investigation into AG Reyes or the UAGO. Further, any insinuation or allegation that the Utah AG or UAGO “killed,” “quashed,” or “shut down” the Davis County Attorney’s investigation is equally without basis in fact. The AG does not direct independently elected county attorneys’ prosecutions. The UAGO would not interfere with a sister agency’s investigation, and the AG himself was screened off from office interaction with Davis County.
The Utah Attorney General’s Office is fully committed to fight crime, protect the public, act with integrity, and see that justice is done. It is important that recent allegations not detract from the urgency to fight the very real crime of human trafficking in our state and in the world.
This video is a compilation edited by me (Jenny Hatch) from clips shared on Adam Herbets X feed.
UPDATE on the Hamblin Case!
If you want to listen in on a couple of Utah Court hearings concerning real dirtbags who have used their membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as cover for the most heinous evil against children, tune in this month at the links below:
Put these dates on your calendars!
David and Rosie Hamblin upcoming October Court Dates
10:30 am October 18, 2023 is the next hearing before Judge Larsen.
10:30 am October 31, 2023 before Judge Griffin.
1:00 PM November 1, 2023 before Judge Lunnen for Roselle Stevenson
Thank you for the update on Tim Ballad Jenny. When it comes to child trafficking and the controversy surrounding every individual who dares step into the spotlight against it, the swamp goes into full blown panic mode. The critics have been hard on Tim even before talk of bringing The Sound of Freedom to the big screen. A podcast called “ Hidden True Crime “ provided great coverage of the Lori Daybell trial and they deserve credit for it. Unfortunately for them, they did a LIVE a couple of weeks ago concerning the allegations against Tim and the organization. They featured some man named Jimmy Rex and clips of his show where he denounced Tim and OUR. Rex downplayed the extent of child sex trafficking and even suggested Tim created LARP scenarios in order to convince others of its existence. The LIVE didn’t go as smoothly as Lauren and John probably had envisioned. There was a LOT of pushback from the audience and some unsubscribed from the channel right then and there. The chat was embroiled in heated debate and even some nasty comments back and forth. Since then I learned Jimmy Rex is a democrat who ran for governor of South Carolina in 2010. He is a real estate mogul and a “Utah socialite”. Odd transition from SC to Utah but not necessarily the end all.
The layers of deception are massive and except for DJT and his family, there is no one else that is worthy of my trust in the government.