For additional articles covering OUR, please go to ACJ Investigates- Derailed: Operation Underground Railroad

Exclusive Press Release from the victim’s attorneys Alan Mortensen and Suzette Rasmussen

Salt Lake City, Utah, October 22, 2024 — Today, Celeste Borys, Mary Hall, Sashleigha Hightower, Krista Kacey, Kira Lynch, and Bree Righter filed a federal lawsuit against Timothy Ballard, founder of Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), and other involved parties, including Matthew Cooper and Michael Porenta. The lawsuit alleges that Ballard and OUR engaged in human trafficking and exploitation of women under the guise of humanitarian anti-trafficking operations. It also highlights how OUR and Ballard hid the money from donors to accomplish this.

The complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Utah, asserts that Ballard and OUR violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) by manipulating and coercing women into participating in sexually exploitative situations and in providing free labor under false pretenses. Central to the allegations is the deceptive “Couples Ruse” tactic, which was presented as an undercover method to “rescue” trafficking victims but instead led to the abuse of the plaintiffs.

How the TVPRA Lawsuit Differs from Earlier Cases

This lawsuit is distinct from earlier legal actions brought against Ballard and OUR in that it is filed under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), a federal statute specifically aimed at combatting human trafficking. Unlike previous suits, which were brought in state courts, the TVPRA mandates that cases be heard in federal court due to the nature of the trafficking violations and the involvement of interstate or international activities. This federal framework allows the plaintiffs to pursue damages from those who profited from the trafficking, even if they did not directly participate in the exploitation. Plaintiffs intend to amend their lawsuit to include such “beneficiary” participants in the COUPLES RUSE as said persons and companies are revealed in discovery.

“This lawsuit exposes the truth behind the façade of Tim Ballard and OUR. Instead of rescuing women and children from trafficking, these defendants used their positions of trust to exploit and abuse and traffic women,” said lead attorneys Suzette Rasmussen and Alan Mortensen.

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