VIOLENT CRIME

Anti-Trafficking Crusader Tim Ballard Faces 4 New Sexual Assault Charges

Tim Ballard is accused of violently sexually assaulting his former assistant, in addition to at least six other women, on multiple occasions.

The founder of the anti-sex trafficking nonprofit Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) is facing four new criminal sexual assault complaints in four California cities. A lawyer for Tim Ballard dismissed the claims as a “shakedown” of her client, who has been accused of workplace sexual misconduct by his former assistant Celeste Borys, among others. Borys accused Ballard of violently sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions, including during a work trip in San Diego, and filed complaints in that city as well as in Los Angeles, San Clemente, and the San Jose suburb of Campbell. She previously filed a complaint against him in Utah County, Utah. Ballard's lawyer called the complaints a “carefully orchestrated media campaign” and said Borys had “strong financial motivation” to make these claims. Six other women have come forward to file civil complaints of sexual assault or misconduct against Ballard, accusing OUR of negligence or complicity in his actions.