A new social media challenge called #PieItForward is encouraging people to raise awareness about sex trafficking and child exploitation. Participants take a whipped cream pie to the face on video, donate the price of a pie to Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), and challenge others to join in. As the #PieItForward campaign gains traction, many are left questioning if they should join in despite the nonprofit’s problematic past.
Founding OUR
OUR was founded by Tim Ballard in 2013 after a career at the CIA and Department of Homeland Security. According to Ballard, his roles within these agencies often limited his ability to intervene in certain trafficking cases, motivating him to create an organization that could take more direct action to combat global sex trafficking.
The nonprofit worked closely with local law enforcement and conducted sting operations in countries across Latin America and Southeast Asia. The footage from these events were subsequently used in films such as The Abolitionists (2016), Operation Toussaint (2018) and Triple Take (2020). While these films brought the grim realities of trafficking into the public eye, critics question the effectiveness of such high-profile methods, arguing that the focus on dramatic rescues do little to address the systemic issues causing trafficking in the first place.
At the same time, Ballard made many public appearances fundraising and spreading awareness about sex trafficking. He even made multiple trips to UVU. First speaking with Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes at the Women of the Mountains Conference and by himself at the UVUSA Speaker Series. In 2019, Ballard was appointed to the White House Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking. While there, he advocated for President Trump’s proposed wall between the US and Mexico as a major step to combat child sex trafficking.
OUR Controversy
Then, in 2020, the nonprofit’s public image started its slow but steady decline. In coordination with the FBI, Davis County opened a criminal investigation into Tim Ballard and OUR. The investigation started because of employee claims that OUR was misleading donors. Soon after, various news organizations started investigations of their own. The picture they paint of OUR is not pretty.
Early publications came from Vice News and the American Crime Journal (ACJ). They tell the story of a nonprofit that took credit for operations where its role was minimal or nonexistent. When confronted OUR and Ballard rejected conflicting evidence. OUR went as far as to serve a SLAPP suit to ACJ for being the first to publish negative information about the nonprofit. ACJ stood up to OUR and they quickly found that intimidating Jounalists was not the way to go.
In May 2023, Davis County’s Attorney’s Office closed the investigation into Ballard and OUR. “In sum, the Davis County Attorney’s Office does not believe that the decision to pursue charges against O.U.R. or any individuals associated with O.U.R. is prudent” Many speculate that the investigation was closed because the Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes is a close friend of Ballard. Text messages published by Fox13 in March 2024 support this claim.
That summer the Sound of Freedom hit theaters, generating widespread attention and further polarizing opinions on OUR. The film told the story of Tim Ballard and his organization. Experts criticized the film for instilling fear and spreading a simplified view of trafficking. Despite this, the film was a commercial success grossing $250 million despite its $14.5 million budget.
Shortly after, the Utah Attorney General’s Office released select documents from the Davis County investigation. Among other details, it revealed that OUR employed a psychic for $5,000 each month in addition to an hourly rate of $1,560. Ballard believed he could communicate to the Mormon prophet Nephi through the psychic.
The documents also detail what became known as the “couples’ ruse,” a tactic reportedly used by Ballard during undercover missions. According to these records, Ballard would recruit women, to pose as his wife while he was undercover. These women were allegedly encouraged to share hotel rooms, and even beds, with Ballard to maintain their cover.
The ruse was framed as necessary for undercover work, but critics have since described it as manipulative and inappropriate. Several women reported feeling uncomfortable and pressured into participating in these arrangements, raising concerns about the ethical boundaries of OUR’s operations.
After whistleblowers came forward, OUR launched an internal investigation resulting in Ballard resigning in June 2023. These allegations subsequently led to lawsuits filed by six women.
New Managment and Organizational Changes
With Ballard’s departure from OUR, Tammy Lee joined as the CEO in Feb. 2024. Lee’s experience includes being the CEO of a biotech company and serving on the White House Interagency Task Force to Combat Trafficking in Persons. That same month, 6 new board members joined replacing Ballard’s friends and family who made up the original board.
- Kelly Crouch, a strategic adviser with Washington State’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit (The same organization that denounced OUR previously)
- Jeff Frazier, chairman of Stimpack, a think tank and NGO focused on issues in Haiti
- Jordan Greenbaum, a clinician and researcher dedicated to treating children who have experienced abuse and exploitation
- Michele McBride, director of organizational development at real estate firm Keller Williams and co-founder of Project ROAR
- Matthew Millhollin, a law enforcement veteran with 25 years of experience and a specialty in human trafficking
- Sean Vassilaros, a technology executive, entrepreneur, and chairman of the Hailey Mayz Foundation
When interviewed in Sept. 2024, Lee told the Salt Lake Tribune about the new direction of OUR: “We are doing things in a very different way,” said Lee. “We are not the old organization that went in, kicking down doors and taking credit for the work the police were doing. We work alongside and behind the police to support their efforts.”
Previously, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that Ballard overstated OUR’s role in a case involving the Washington ICAC Taskforce. They subsequently issued a statement to Washington police departments that “no task-force group should partner with O.U.R. or provide O.U.R. with ‘any resources, equipment, personnel, training.'”
Thanks to the new direction of OUR, burned bridges are being rebuilt. Crouch, as listed above, told the UVU Review “Since the placement of Tammy Lee as CEO, the communication and partnership between Washington ICAC Taskforce and OUR Rescue has grown stronger.”
The nonprofit has been quietly righting the ship. OUR was rebranded to OUR Rescue and the headquarters will be moving from Salt Lake City to Minneapolis, Minnesota.
As the holidays approach, be mindful about what social media trends you join in on. While the #PieItForward challenge may appear lighthearted, it’s essential to consider the complex history of organizations you choose to support. In OUR Rescue’s case, the nonprofit is making substantial efforts to address its past mistakes and adopt a more collaborative and transparent approach to combating trafficking.
