SALT LAKE CITY — First, she filed a defamation lawsuit for the way she was portrayed in a blockbuster film.
Now she's facing up to 20 years in a Colombian prison for pimping.
READ: Woman portrayed as villain in Sound of Freedom sues Tim Ballard
Kely Suarez filed a civil suit against Tim Ballard in February, accusing him and production company Angel Studios of falsely portraying her as a villain in the movie "Sound of Freedom."
The film, which claims to be based on a true story, features actor Jim Caviezel in the role of Ballard as he works to rescue victims of human trafficking. It was one of the highest-grossing films of 2023 in the United States.
“This is a case of a young Colombian woman who was tragically condemned by the Defendants to the entire world as being a child trafficker without any due process or due diligence by the Defendants,” the lawsuit read.
Kely’s attorneys say Ballard and OUR lied to the public about a “sting operation” in Colombia known as Operation Triple Take, where operatives “rescued” children at a “pedophile party” on the Colombian Island of Baru in 2014.
In reality, Kely says, Ballard and OUR organized the party by luring in impoverished children and young adults with the promise of money.
Prostitution is legal in Colombia, according to the lawsuit. At least one of the young adults who attended the party said he saw ads for it on social media.
“None of the young adults on the boat [to the island] were trafficked in any way (other than by Ballard),” the lawsuit reads. “In fact, court documents demonstrate that none of the young adults were trafficked or were sex slaves.”
According to the civil lawsuit, Angel Studios used the "Katy Giselle" character in Sound of Freedom to “double down” on Kely’s image, “again painting her as a monster child trafficker, rather than one who had been trafficked by Tim Ballard for his personal gain and fame.”
Ballard traveled to Colombia to testify against Kely in the criminal trial.
Eight years later, her attorneys said they were told she was no longer being prosecuted. The case sat dormant for years until her conviction.
Her attorneys in Colombia are now in the process of appealing the conviction to the Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia. They say victim advocates from around the world are donating their money to Kely's defense.
Her attorneys in the United States said they still have confidence in the civil case, wanting to make it clear that the felony charge of "pimping" in Colombia is different than "human trafficking."
"CTE Agents testified at trial that Kely was being trafficked, not (taking part in) trafficking," they wrote. "The youth were paid to attend the party by Ballard’s team, not by the alleged traffickers."
Attorney Alan Mortensen expressed doubt in the ruling.
"It was a conviction based on a mistake," he said. "Thank God we have juries in cases like this in the United States where you have to convince people beyond a reasonable doubt."
In an email, Ballard wrote:
"This conviction proves the value of our work to protect innocent children and continues an unbroken string of failures in cases against me, which courts consistently dismiss for lack of evidence, substance, or consistency."
OUR and Ballard are still facing two sexual assault lawsuits from six women. His attorneys say they look forward to vindicating him in those cases as well.