VivaSync

EXCLUSIVE: The sordid Salt Lake City strip clubs offering the 'hottest girls' and lap dances for up

With white leather VIP couches, a private lap dance room and a garishly lit main stage surrounded by posters of nude women, Exotic Kitty promises to offer patrons the 'hottest girls' in Salt Lake City.

It is also one of a trio of strip clubs where anti-trafficking activist Tim Ballard allegedly groomed vulnerable women auditioning for a role on his overseas missions, which he claimed would save child sex slaves, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Along the 5-mile stretch of gentlemen's clubs, nicknamed 'Sin Lake City', Ballard made budding female operatives give him lap dances and even plied his own son with drugs, while disguised as his alter-ego, 'Brian', it is claimed.

The married father-of-nine, whose life inspired the hit movie 'Sound of Freedom', is being sued over allegations he sexually manipulated, abused and harassed at least five women on foreign missions with Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), the anti-trafficking organization he founded in 2013.

A bombshell lawsuit filed Monday claims Ballard concocted a 'couple's ruse' tactic, which required his female operatives to pose as his wife during the missions.

Tim Ballard, whose supposed anti-trafficking heroics were turned into the hit movie 'Sound of Freedom', is being sued over allegations of sexual abuse and harassment

Tim Ballard, whose supposed anti-trafficking heroics were turned into the hit movie 'Sound of Freedom', is being sued over allegations of sexual abuse and harassment 

Ballard is alleged to have taken budding female operatives to Salt Lake City strip clubs, including Trails Gentlemen's Club (pictured) to 'practice' their 'sexual chemistry' as part of a 'couple's ruse' tactic he concocted that he claimed was to fool traffickers

Ballard is alleged to have taken budding female operatives to Salt Lake City strip clubs, including Trails Gentlemen's Club (pictured) to 'practice' their 'sexual chemistry' as part of a 'couple's ruse' tactic he concocted that he claimed was to fool traffickers 

The women claim the tactic was in fact a ploy to allow Ballard to coerce them into sexually intimate acts. One claimant said Ballard took her on a strip club crawl to Trails, Exotic Kitty (pictured) and The American Bush to 'test' how she would respond to 'intense' situations

The women claim the tactic was in fact a ploy to allow Ballard to coerce them into sexually intimate acts. One claimant said Ballard took her on a strip club crawl to Trails, Exotic Kitty (pictured) and The American Bush to 'test' how she would respond to 'intense' situations  

Ballard, a devout Mormon, has claimed this allowed male operatives to turn down offers of underage sex from traffickers by claiming their wife was present and would not allow it.

But his female accusers allege it simply provided the 47-year-old with opportunities to coerce them into sexually intimate acts in 'various states of undress'.

The lawsuit, filed in Utah on behalf of five unnamed women, reveals Ballard even took budding female colleagues on strip club crawls around Salt Lake City to 'practice' their 'sexual chemistry'.

The women were allegedly made to participate in tantric yoga, couple's massages with escorts and perform lap dances on Ballard.

The extraordinary allegations, which include the claim that the OUR founder took ketamine while dictating revelations from a dead Mormon prophet that he would one day be US President, come just a month after Ballard had touted a run for Senate.

A second lawsuit filed Tuesday on behalf of a divorced couple accuses Ballard of sexual assault and grooming, which ultimately led to the break up of the couple's marriage. 

Ballard had been riding the crest of a wave created by the surprise success of 'Sound of Freedom', a movie loosely based on his purported anti-trafficking heroics.

But he has been deserted by former high profile allies, including Utah State Attorney General Sean Reyes, since allegations of sexual misconduct were first reported by Vice News.

DailyMail.com can now reveal that the sordid strip clubs Ballard frequented to train his female 'partners' promise clients the 'most sensual, sexy dance in the world', with one describing itself as a 'mega adult club'.

One of Ballard's alleged victims, an actress known only as D.M., claims in the first lawsuit that the day she met the anti-trafficking activist and expressed interest in joining his team, he took her on a strip club crawl of Salt Lake City to 'test' how she would 'respond to certain uncomfortable and intense situations'.

She names three of the strip clubs they went to: Trails Gentlemen's Club, Exotic Kitty, and The American Bush.

The clubs are all within five miles of each other along a stretch dubbed 'Sin Lake City'

The clubs are all within five miles of each other along a stretch dubbed 'Sin Lake City'

Trails bills itself as a 'mega adult club featuring Utah's most beautiful dancers'

Trails bills itself as a 'mega adult club featuring Utah's most beautiful dancers'

Exotic Kitty describes itself as Salt Lake City's 'top gentleman's club', that has 'established the sexiest girls in the market'.

It invites patrons to watch its 'amazing ladies' on its stage and VIP couches, or 'treat' themselves to a private dance in its one-on-one area where they will receive the 'most sensual, sexy dance in the world'.

Its couches are set to a neon panther sign, with its bar area advertising $20 couch dances and $35 VIP dances.

Trails bills itself as a 'mega adult club featuring Utah's most beautiful dancers'.

Its social media pages are littered with pictures of its scantily-clad strippers alongside advertisements for burlesque and poker nights.

The American Bush, meanwhile, provides a DJ, pool tables, with private lap dance rates ranging from $250 for 30 minutes to $450 for an hour.

In the lawsuit, D.M., claims she first met Ballard at an OUR gym on October 28, 2021, where he briefly explained the 'couple's ruse' and self-defense tactics were practiced.

Ballard then said he would 'take it up a level' later that evening.

A group met back at the gym at 10.30pm, where D.M. was paired with another male operative and Ballard with an unnamed female colleague to practice the 'couple's ruse'.

They were then taken to the first strip club, the name of which is not specified, where Ballard and his partner 'were all over each other', with Ballard disguised in 'big glasses' as his alter-ego, 'Brian', the lawsuit states.

D.M., even claims Ballard's son joined the group at the club and at one point wandered over and said his dad had given him something to take, which D.M. states was 'presumably some type of pill'.

The son said he felt 'high', but laughed it off, an incident the woman says was 'inappropriate' and 'disturbed' her.

One of Ballard's female accusers said she first met him at the Operation Underground Railroad gym, the anti-trafficking organization he founded in 2013

One of Ballard's female accusers said she first met him at the Operation Underground Railroad gym, the anti-trafficking organization he founded in 2013 

From there, they went onto the trio of clubs in Salt Lake City, including Exotic Kitty (pictured) to practice the 'couple's ruse'

From there, they went onto the trio of clubs in Salt Lake City, including Exotic Kitty (pictured) to practice the 'couple's ruse' 

The American Bush provides a DJ, pool tables, with private lap dance rates ranging from $250 for 30 minutes to $450 for an hour

The American Bush provides a DJ, pool tables, with private lap dance rates ranging from $250 for 30 minutes to $450 for an hour

A Facebook advert for The American Bush's 'Blaze "Spirit"' night

A Facebook advert for The American Bush's 'Blaze "Spirit"' night

She also claims Ballard told her he would also 'sometimes take something in order to deal with his stress and to help him get into character'.

At the club, D.M., says she was given the task of gathering information from random patrons, such as phone numbers and where they lived, to see how well she could elicit intelligence.

She adds that while her male partner behaved professionally, Ballard was 'extreme' in his use of the 'couple's ruse' tactic.

The anti-trafficking activist would go into private rooms and ask his partner for dances. 

D.M. claims the woman was 'hesitant' about this, but ultimately acquiesced 'to show him that she could do the job'.

After hitting a number of other clubs, the group called it a night at around 4am, the lawsuit states.

The following day, the actress says she met Ballard at an OUR office, where he began to describe exactly how 'intimate' the 'couple's ruse' would get and asking 'over and over' if she would be willing to act out certain explicit sexual acts.

D.M., claims Ballard 'made it seem like it could be a life or death situation if I was not willing or able to act out certain sex acts well enough'.

He explained there would be no kissing on the lips or penetrative sex, but made it seem like 'everything else besides' could be expected, the woman claims.

She adds: 'Things then proceeded to become physical', with Ballard 'touching, rubbing and grabbing with his hands across pretty much my entire body'.

She claims he pushed her up against the office door, started grinding and that it 'was pretty obvious he had an erection'.

At one point, Ballard allegedly lifted up the woman's shirt and 'was licking and kissing' her stomach.

The alleged assault only stopped when a male colleague entered the room.

D.M. claims she was 'shut out' when she later told OUR she still wanted to help on missions but was unwilling to engage in sexual acts as part of the 'couple's ruse'.

Chris Cheney, one of the claimant's attorneys, alleged to DailyMail.com that the woman's experience at the Salt Lake City strip clubs was 'not an isolated incident'. 

Ballard is said to have sent at least one woman a photo of himself in his underwear, covered in fake tattoos, according to one source.

Ballard is said to have sent at least one woman a photo of himself in his underwear and to have asked another 'how far she was willing to go' to save children, according to one source

Just last month Ballard had said he was 'seriously' considering a run for the Utah Senate following the success of Sound of Freedom

Just last month Ballard had said he was 'seriously' considering a run for the Utah Senate following the success of Sound of Freedom

Ballard (center) allegedly took ketamine while dictating revelations from a Mormon prophet who foretold he would be the next US President. Ballard had already forged a connection with former president Donald Trump, pictured here on an episode of the anti-trafficking activist's podcast, with Jim Caviezel (right), who played Ballard in Sound of Freedom

Ballard (center) allegedly took ketamine while dictating revelations from a Mormon prophet who foretold he would be the next US President. Ballard had already forged a connection with former president Donald Trump, pictured here on an episode of the anti-trafficking activist's podcast, with Jim Caviezel (right), who played Ballard in Sound of Freedom 

The lawsuit alleges that OUR portrayed its overseas missions as 'paramilitary drop-ins to arrest traffickers and rescue children,' but in reality they mostly involved 'going to strip clubs and massage parlors across the world, after flying first class to get there, and staying at five-star hotels', the lawsuit alleges.

OUR members have claimed its missions have saved countless lives, but it has previously been accused of grossly exaggerating its achievements.

This helped Ballard become 'a character of mythical proportions with unquestioned legitimacy', which was bolstered by his 'enmeshment with the Mormon church' and endorsements from high-profile public figures, including Donald Trump and Attorney General Reyes, the lawsuit states.

One extraordinary passage from the lawsuit states that Ballard 'would get ketamine treatments and have a scribe come in with him while he would talk to the dead prophet Nephi and issue forth prophecies about Ballard's greatness and future as a United States Senator, President of the United States, and ultimately the Mormon Prophet, to usher in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ'.

The missionary, who purports to be a former CIA agent, allegedly told women his methods had been blessed by the Mormon church, who had endorsed him as a future US President and Prophet.

Most of his alleged victims were Mormon women.

Ballard is also said to have sent at least one woman a photo of himself in his underwear, covered in fake tattoos, and to have asked another 'how far she was willing to go' to save children, a source had previously told Vice News.

The lawsuit states that two marriages ended due to Ballard's actions.

In one case, Ballard offered to cover one victim's divorce attorney fees and had a henchman threaten her husband on voicemail, the lawsuit alleges.

Ballard allegedly warned the women that speaking out about their alleged sexual encounters it would endanger the lives of those on anti-trafficking operations.

The women claimants say they were given burner phones that they were told they were being tracked on, ordered to delete messages, sign NDAs and threatened with legal action if they leaked anything about Ballard's tactics.

A statement released via Ballard's new anti-trafficking venture, The SPEAR Fund, said he 'vehemently denies the allegations brought by these unnamed women' and 'looks forward to vindicating his name in the courts where evidence, and not unsubstantiated accusations in the media, decides the outcome'.

The strip clubs themselves are not accused of wrongdoing.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2Bc4KQb2xubV%2BJtaZ50qipnaGUYqCiuNNmg5qjlWKQqsDYZqqtqpmleqS41JuqZqeWm7Kztc2gZKGnpKmytMCMoKCrpKNiuaK8jJ2Yp5uVqHp1gY9miqitnpl6h77EnpuopaNioaq5jHuYpaSRp7FurculnKCdlKHGbr%2FEsayapJyueqi%2BzqiknpxdrLyusc1mpq%2Bdoqiyor%2BMmqWtoV2pv6KyxaKapKGenHqutdKsoKimo2O1tbnL

Martina Birk

Update: 2024-01-09