Tim Ballard’s Text Messages with Victim Expose Possessive Behavior and Cosmetic Surgery

Reckless Tactics, Cosmetic Surgery and Intimate Texts Continue to Undermine Tim Ballard’s Anti-Trafficking Persona

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

Text messages obtained exclusively by ACJ expose not only Tim Ballard’s possessive tendencies but also his cosmetic surgery and a stunning level of operational incompetence.

The exchange features Ballard, using his covert alias “Brian Black,” and one of his alleged victims, Kira Lynch. In one particularly invasive message, Ballard admits to rifling through Lynch’s personal drawers, casually informing her that he’s aware of the medications she’s been taking—an unsettling glimpse into his disregard for boundaries.

“I saw u [sic] have as many meds as I do in your drawers,” Ballard says via text to Lynch, a line that starkly exposes his unsettling intrusion into her personal life. He continues, “I want to talk to u [sic] about that. I’ve been through tremendous depression and anxiety this last year,” framing his violation as an invitation to commiserate.

Lynch had yet to respond when Ballard pressed again, “I’d like to talk to u about it.” His persistence only deepens with the following message, “May be able to help me,” before finally confiding, “We both went through massive betrayal trauma.” The repetition in his pleas suggests an almost desperate attempt to bond through shared pain, blurring the lines between personal and professional conduct.

Lynch finally responded with a heart emoji on his last message.

It remains unclear what “betrayal” Tim Ballard is referencing, whether real, imagined or just a grooming technique. However, based on ACJ’s nearly six-year investigation into Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) and Ballard himself, one significant betrayal that may have “rocked him” was the defection of his sister-in-law and former O.U.R. Chief Financial Officer, Tevya Ware. Ware reportedly began cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in its criminal investigation into Ballard and O.U.R.

CFO Tevya Ware, along with then-President Jon Lines and recently hired director Carlos Rodriguez—a retired Washington State Patrol Sergeant—agreed to assist prosecutors. ACJ interviewed Rodriguez as he was en route to meet with investigators in Utah. All three—Ware, Lines, and Rodriguez—eventually left O.U.R., masking their departure under the guise of forming a new anti-human trafficking organization, Coaxion Global.

At the time, a multi-agency criminal investigation was underway, targeting not only Tim Ballard but also Attorney General Sean Reyes and Operation Underground Railroad.

Ballard’s $8,000 Cosmetic Surgery Courtesy of O.U.R. Donors

The next series of text messages reveals that Tim Ballard underwent cosmetic surgery on December 20, 2022, at a cost he mentioned was $8,000.

In the initial message, Ballard oddly insists, “Not vein [sic],” before casually adding, “I’m getting my neck chopped” and “All good.”

Lynch then inquires, “When are you getting your neck done?”

Ballard responds with, “Dec 20,” but adds a note of hesitation: “If I do it.” He continues to deliberate, saying, “I want to check the injection option” and admits, “Do[es]n’t really want to spend 8k.”

Immediately after the surgery, Ballard shared a photo with Lynch. The image, taken in the hospital recovery room, shows Ballard with bloodshot eyes and surgical marker lines on his cheeks. His head, face, and neck are heavily bandaged, with hospital curtains draped behind him.

He followed up the photo with a brief message to Lynch: “Just finished surgery.”

After returning home, Ballard sent Lynch another picture. This image shows him seemingly heavily medicated, his face drooping and eyes bloodshot. He sits on a couch, still bandaged, and wearing a black denim jacket.

He texted her, “I’m home,” followed by a second picture from the same couch, this time showing the left side of his bandaged face. He pointed out what he described as bleeding from his ear, texting, “Bleeding [blood emoji] or if [sic] my ear.”

The messages conveys a graphic display of his post-surgery condition, underscoring his need for attention even in recovery.

The texts between Ballard and Lynch reveal a far more intimate relationship than the “strictly professional” and “platonic” narrative that he and his attorneys continue to push. The fact that Ballard chose to contact Lynch immediately after his surgical procedure—using a phone designated for “operational use”—and to share photos of himself in a vulnerable post-surgery state, starkly contradicts the claims made by Ballard and spokesperson Chad Kolton that this was purely a platonic relationship.

This sequence of events further erodes the credibility of their defense. If this had been purely a professional relationship between covert operatives, why would Ballard leave clear evidence on her phone that they weren’t truly husband and wife, along with personal details of his cosmetic surgery—details that cartels or traffickers could easily exploit? Worse still, if Lynch’s cover were compromised, given her lack of experience in law enforcement or covert operations, she could just as easily betray Ballard, armed with incriminating evidence.

In a statement to ACJ, Alan Mortensen, the attorney representing Kira Lynch and the other victims, stated:

“The text messages between Tim Ballard and the women involved in the COUPLES RUSE fraud reveal deeply troubling behavior. Ballard manipulated these women, invading their personal spaces, and attempting to cultivate intimate relationships for his own benefit. His actions, such as entering a woman’s bathroom and scoping out her medicines without permission and later sharing personal details of his life, like his desire to have plastic surgery and his recovery from such, demonstrate a pattern of grooming behavior.

This evidence paints a stark contrast between Ballard’s public persona and his evil private actions. It shows that rather than being a protector, he exploited these women in ways alarmingly similar to the very trafficking he claimed to fight. These communications will provide crucial insight for juries, highlighting the disturbing irony that, in his alleged efforts to combat trafficking, Ballard himself engaged in exploitative and predatory conduct that makes him the classic sex trafficker.”