Tim Ballard, the former head of an anti-sex trafficking group, has been accused of sexual assault and battery by multiple women in a lawsuit filed against him. The lawsuit alleges that Ballard used a tactic called the "couples ruse" to fool traffickers by pretending he and a female partner, who was actually one of the plaintiffs, were a couple. Ballard would then pressure the women to simulate sex with him while both were clothed, hire escorts to come to his room, hire masseuses who he encouraged to touch her sexually, and convince her to post her own photos on an escort site, supposedly to gather intelligence. Ballard also allegedly encouraged the women to share the same bed and shower with him on his missions, and eventually began coercing sex acts from them. Most of the plaintiffs were or are Mormons themselves, and Ballard reportedly used his religion and "spiritual manipulation to coerce them into sexual contact". Ballard has denied the allegations, and his attorney has stated that he looks forward to vindicating his name in court. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has condemned Ballards behavior as "morally unacceptable".