The Real Lives of Sound of Freedom Characters: What Happened After 2013

The Aftermath of the Sting Operation

A lot has happened since the 2013 sting operation. The characters in Sound of Freedom are inspired by real people and true stories, and viewers might wonder what happened to them. The movie chronicles the life and work of Tim Ballard, a former Department of Homeland Security official, as he tries to rescue human trafficking victims. Ballard works alongside colleagues and police task forces from Colombia, and some of the other people featured in the film have real-life counterparts too. The people Sound of Freedom's characters are based on have led interesting lives since the film's events took place in 2013, with some fading into obscurity and others finding themselves at the center of scandals.

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Sound of Freedom premiered on July 4, 2023, and it was a box office success, grossing over $250 million worldwide on a $14 million budget. While the release of Sound of Freedom was met with criticism over its alleged QAnon ties and accuracy, the film resonated with audiences. That's in part because of the characters, but the movie doesn't cover what happened to their real-life counterparts after its events.

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The Real Tim Ballard: Hero to Alleged Offender

Tim Ballard was the brains behind Operation Underground Railroad in Sound of Freedom and in real life. He traveled to Colombia to take down a human trafficking ring virtually but soon grew tired of not being able to save children in person. Wanting to make a real difference in the lives of the children, Ballard quit his job to help save a child who was being trafficked and started Operation Underground Railroad. Ballard traveled to Colombia to help authorities save the little girl alongside dozens of other victims in a big sting operation.

Tim Ballard in Sound of Freedom.

Unfortunately, the real story of Ballard was anything but heroic and ended with legal problems for him. Shortly before Sound of Freedom premiered in July 2023, Ballard resigned from his position as CEO of Operation Underground Railroad after multiple sexual assault and grooming complaints. While conducting some of his sting operations, Ballard was accused of pretending to be someone's spouse to take advantage of them in what was called a 'couples ruse.' Ballard also faced accusations of sexual tourism and complaints of taking advantage of the sting operations for his financial gain.

Tim Ballard in Sound of Freedom.

The Real Katherine Ballard and Other Characters

Katherine Ballard, Tim Ballard's wife, is very supportive of her husband's mission in Sound of Freedom and encourages him to stay in Colombia to rescue a trafficked girl. In real life, Tim had to be convinced by Katherine to stay and complete his mission instead of coming home to the U.S. Similar to her husband, Katherine has faced legal difficulties over the past couple of years. She was named in a civil lawsuit and accused of promoting the 'couples ruse' her husband created and using it for financial gain.

Katherine Ballard in Sound of Freedom.

Vampiro, a former criminal who used to work for the cartels, has a life-altering experience after having sex with an underage prostitute and decides to focus on setting child sex slaves free. In real life, Vampiro went by Batman, keeping his real name a secret to hide his identity. He never went to jail and dedicated himself to his mission after sleeping with an adult trafficking victim.

Vampiro looking off to the side in Sound of Freedom

Roberto Aguilar is desperate to find his children after they are taken as sex slaves by Katy-Giselle. While the story of Sound of Freedom takes some creative liberties, the character of Aguilar is loosely based on the parents of the children rescued during Operation Underground Railroad's multiple sting operations.

Roberto in Sound of Freedom

Katy-Giselle is a former beauty queen and one of the sex traffickers in Sound of Freedom. Using her beauty queen credentials, she lures her victims to a fake audition. She then persuades their parents to leave them with her during the 'audition' and eventually sells them into slavery. Katy-Giselle is based on a real person, Kelly Johana Suarez, who participated in multiple beauty pageants in Colombia and later worked as a human trafficker. Similar to the movie storyline, Suarez was arrested during a joint sting operation by ICE and Colombian police in 2014.

Yessica Borroto as Katy-Gisselle in Sound of Freedom.