Utah AG says sexual assault allegations against anti-trafficking ally 'need to be taken seriously'

Mormon activist Tim Ballard, founder of the anti-trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), has been battling sexual assault allegations. On Monday, October 9, five women who have accused Ballard of sexual assault filed a civil lawsuit against him.

Now, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, is publicly addressing the allegations.

On October 10, Reyes publicly stated that the allegations against Ballard "are serious and out to be taken seriously." Reyes added, however, that, the allegations "don't in any way diminish" the need to "attack the issue of human trafficking."

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Tribune reporter Bryan Schott explains, "Reyes has been a close ally of Ballard for nearly a decade. He accompanied Ballard and OUR on a 2015 mission to Colombia. That operation was a key plot point for 'Sound of Freedom,' a fictionalized biographical movie about Ballard released earlier this year. Reyes was given an associate producer credit on the film but said he did not receive any compensation for that role."

READ MORE: Here's why the Mormon Church distanced itself from anti-trafficking activist Tim Ballard

Read the Salt Lake Tribune's full article at this link.