SALT LAKE CITY — Alleged victims of sexual assault say they do not have confidence in the Utah Attorney General’s Office’s criminal investigation of Tim Ballard, despite a meeting in which they listened to Utah AG Sean Reyes speak for 45 minutes.
Instead, they are working with six other law enforcement agencies across Utah and California.
Ballard was the founder and CEO of Operation Underground Railroad, an anti-human trafficking nonprofit that “permanently separated” from Ballard after the women came forward.
Celeste Borys, who used to work as Ballard’s assistant, initially filed a report with the Lindon Police Department.
Her attorneys say she traveled to California last week to file four additional police reports.
- Campbell Police Department
- LAX Police Department
- San Diego Police Department
- Orange County Sheriff’s Department
Attorneys for Kira Lynch, another former OUR employee, stated she has filed a police report with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
With the exception of the Utah AG’s Office, the women praised local law enforcement.
"[Reyes] spoke for about 45 minutes, and then we all had a turn to speak," Lynch said. "I just don't give my trust away that easily... it doesn't change that he didn't do his job."
Reyes has publicly fundraised for OUR and went on “missions” with Ballard to foreign countries.
He recently apologized to each of Ballard’s accusers for his “past friendship” with Ballard, stating he believes their stories.
In December, Reyes publicly vowed to open a criminal investigation into Ballard in which he would be personally recused.
He also promised not to seek reelection.
A spokesperson for the Utah AG’s Office stated its investigators are professional and that the case will proceed, despite the alleged victims’ lack of willingness to be interviewed.
READ: Utah AG’s Office insists it has no bias related to investigation of ~$1 million donor
Details surrounding each of the seven criminal cases are sparse. Investigators declined to comment. Attorneys for the women stated the interviews with detectives were thorough and emotionally taxing. They said they did not want to reveal details that would negatively impact the ongoing investigations.
Each of Ballard’s female accusers say he employed a technique called the “couple’s ruse” in which women would need to engage in sexual conduct with Ballard while engaging in OUR missions to trick pedophiles into believing that they are his wife or girlfriend.
Borys stated she submitted physical evidence as part of the Lindon PD investigation – an unwashed leather skirt. She said she believes the clothing will show Ballard’s sperm once it is finished being tested by the Utah State Crime Lab.
In a recent podcast, a psychic named Janet Russon stated she and Borys sometimes shared a suitcase with Ballard, which could theoretically explain the DNA on her clothing. Russon was paid tens of thousands of dollars by Ballard and OUR for her psychic intel, a practice that the nonprofit insists is no longer in line with its current policies.
Borys stated she has never shared a suitcase with Ballard.
READ: Utah AG’s support of ‘psychic intel’ contradicts police data
Some of the alleged sexual misconduct reportedly occurred on trips to California in which Ballard was giving a speech or accepting an award. Borys said he used these trips to also do “recon work.”
“The (recon work) would usually consist of going to massage parlors or strip clubs trying to get leads after performing various sex acts with hookers,” said attorney Alan Mortensen.
Nine individuals (eight women) have filed civil lawsuits against Ballard and/or OUR, including Borys and Lynch. Some of the women have yet to reveal their identities.
Whitney Bernstein, an attorney for Ballard stated the lawsuits are part of a “shakedown” and indicated the facts of the case will “tell a much different story.”
"If it were about money, I would have never joined OUR,” Borys said. “I left my business for the mission I believed in... Tim's lawyers are the ones motivated by money. They bill Tim every single time they publicly humiliate Tim's sexual assault victims."
READ: Tim Ballard issues first legal response to sexual misconduct lawsuit
Borys stated she hopes Ballard spends time in prison.
“What he’s done is evil,” Borys said. "You can't do this to people. It's inhumane.”
