Matt Osborne: Former CIA officer appointed as new OUR president after Tim Ballard’s ouster
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Matt Osborne, a former CIA officer, has been appointed as new president and COO of Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) after former CEO Tim Ballard was secretly axed earlier this year.
Ballard, whose story was the basis for the blockbuster film ‘Sound of Freedom’, was ousted from the OUR in June after he was accused of abusing his power and sexually exploiting at least seven women, according to the Vice.
However, Osborne has been listed as the company's new president and COO on LinkedIn since February 2023, nearly five months ago.
As per OUR, Osborne has led several rescue operations that resulted in the liberation of some 120 trafficking victims and the arrest of almost 40 suspected traffickers.
Before joining the organization, he had a twelve-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency and the US Department of State.
As an intelligence officer, he tracked concerns about domestic terrorism and Iraq's political transition. In his role as a Foreign Service Officer and diplomat, Osborne served overseas tours in Madrid, Spain, Caracas, Venezuela, and Mexico, where he specialized in the fight against terrorism.
He graduated with a bachelor's in international studies from Miami University and a master's in international policy studies from the California-based Monterey Institute of International Studies.
Why was Tim Ballard ousted from OUR?
Tim Ballard, an anti–child trafficking crusader, was quietly axed from OUR after an internal investigation into sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him.
Ballard was ousted before the release of ‘Sound of Freedom’ on July 4, but the news was not disclosed until Vice broke it on July 13.
“He has permanently separated from OUR. OUR is dedicated to combatting sexual abuse, and does not tolerate sexual harassment or discrimination by anyone in its organization,” an OUR spokesperson told Vice.
The outlet also reported on an anonymous letter which stated that “an OUR employee who accompanied Tim on an undercover operation filed a sexual harassment complaint against him with OUR’s HR department.”
“It was ultimately revealed through disturbingly specific and parallel accounts, that Tim has been deceitfully and extensively grooming and manipulating multiple women for the past few years with the ultimate intent of coercing them to participate in sexual acts with him,” the letter continued.
Earlier this week, sources with knowledge of the issue informed the publication that Ballard recruited women to work as his "wife" on covert international operations purportedly intended to save sex trafficking victims.
Later, the former OUR CEO persuaded those women to share a bed or a shower, saying that doing so was vital to deceive traffickers.
He even sent at least one woman "a photo of himself in his underwear, festooned with fake tattoos, and to have asked another 'how far she was willing to go to save children,'" the sources stated.
How did Tim Ballard respond to the allegations?
The Utah-born former CIA agent did not address the sexual misconduct allegations in detail but declared in a statement that they were entirely untrue.
"It's not true, nothing you hear is true. Something evil is going on. I don't know what yet," he said, claiming it was a plot against him.
Ballard also denied allegations from the Church of Latter Day Saints, which accused him of using the name of their president, M Russell Ballard, who is no relation to him, for personal and financial gains, according to Daily Mail.
“President Ballard is like a grandfather to me,” Tim said, adding, “He came to me in 2011, 2012, and he told me he appreciates all the things I'm doing and wants to help me.
“I've never used Elder Ballard's name. Ever! I've never trodden on his name to ask for anything. I've never had any business dealings with him. What business deal?” he continued.