‘Sound of Freedom’ Exec Producer Allegedly Fondled Trafficking Victim’s Breast
ALARMING
The controversial anti-trafficking film Sound of Freedom is facing yet another misconduct scandal, this time involving executive producer Paul Hutchinson. According to a trove of documents obtained by VICE following a criminal probe by the Davis County Attorney’s Office in Utah, Hutchinson touched the bare breasts of a 16-year-old trafficking victim during an undercover sting in Mexico in 2016. The incident was caught on camera during the filming of a documentary about the anti-trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) and its founder Tim Ballard, whose story later served as the inspiration for Sound of Freedom. The FBI and Davis County authorities looked into the footage but never filed charges. Hutchinson insisted to VICE that the alleged victim was 18 but didn’t provide any evidence. “I have zero reservations as to how I handled myself undercover,” he told the outlet. “... All my undercover work was done with integrity and honor.” VICE reported on Monday that Ballard quietly left OUR this year after a sexual misconduct investigation involving at least seven women. Meanwhile, one of Sound of Freedom’s funders was recently charged in a child kidnapping case.