Is Tim Ballard related to M. Russell Ballard? LDS church excommunication explored amid recent allegations

Anti-child slavery activist, motivational speaker, and author Tim Ballard was reported to have resigned from the position of CEO of the anti-s*x trafficking organization Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.), which he founded, in the wake of s*xual harassment allegations. His resignation happened in late June, however, the news was first published on September 18 by the online media outlet Vice.

Tim Ballard, on whose life the 2023 Hollywood action movie Sound of Freedom is based, was accused by at least seven female employees of his company of s*xual assault. In fact, his resignation comes amidst a s*xual misconduct investigation that was launched by O.U.R.

Meanwhile, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, better known as LDS, of which Tim Ballard was a member, also publicly condemned him for "morally unacceptable" behavior and for using the name of the church and its President, M. Russell Ballard, for his "personal advantage."

For those uninitiated, even though Tim shares the same last name as the religious leader, the two have no relation, as reported by The Guardian.

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Tim Ballard is no longer part of O.U.R. or the LDS Church in the wake of s*xual harassment allegations

On Friday, September 15, the LDS Church issued a statement where they publicly criticized Tim Ballard for his immoral behavior and also for using the name of M. Russell Ballard, the President of the Church, to "promote his personal and financial interests," reported The Guardian.

Not only that, but the statement further clarified that the duo was unrelated but shared a friendship that ended after Tim Ballard’s s*xual misconduct allegations came to the forefront. In addition, Tim Ballard, who has been a member of the LDS Church since 2015, was also reported to have been excommunicated on the grounds of betrayal for personal gain.

However, it remains unclear when exactly his church membership was revoked. As per Fox News, the LDS Church has removed all information about Ballard from its official website.

“President Ballard never authorized his name, or the name of the Church, to be used for Tim’s personal or financial interests. In addition, [LDS] never endorsed, funded, supported, or represented O.U.R., Tim Ballard, or any projects associated with them,” the statement further read.

In the wake of his excommunication from the LDS Church, Tim Ballard was also reported to have resigned from the position of CEO of his own company for allegedly s*xually harassing at least seven women. In fact, media outlet Vice reported that his resignation came right after the anti-s*x trafficking organization launched a formal investigation into the accusations in June.

As per the reports, Tim Ballard was accused of inviting female employees of the company and other volunteers to accompany him abroad on his business trips and enact the role of his wife. Later, he allegedly forced the women to share the same bed or take showers together on the grounds that "it was necessary to fool traffickers."

According to Vice, two of the victims who anonymously shared their harrowing accounts said they either received semi-n*de photographs of Tim Ballard flexing his fake tattoos or were directly asked how far they were willing to go to rescue enslaved kids.

As per O.U.R.’s statement to The Guardian, Ballard was “permanently separated” from the company, however, details of the allegations were not provided.

“O.U.R. is dedicated to combatting s*xual abuse, and does not tolerate s*xual harassment or discrimination by anyone in its organization…O.U.R. is confident in its future as the leading organization committed to combatting s*x trafficking and saving children who have been captured and sold into slavery,” the statement read.

It also stated that an independent law firm was hired to carry out an unbiased and thorough investigation into the matter.

Over the weekend, while delivering a speech in Boston as part of the American Covenant Tour, Ballard denied all allegations and also dismissed the LDS Church’s condemnation of him.

“It’s not true. Nothing you hear is true.”

Interestingly, Ballard was a former special advisor to Donald Trump on the issue of child s*x trafficking and slavery during his presidency and also served as a member of the White House anti-trafficking advisory board at the time.

Ballard has also worked for the CIA and Homeland Security in the past, before founding O.U.R. in 2013. Ballard is also an ultra-conservative who is also an alleged QAnon conspiracy theorist. As per Vice, he was on his way to run for a U.S. Senate Seat in his state Utah.