Title: Controversial Film “Sound of Freedom” Faces Scrutiny over QAnon Ties and Fraudulent Financing
Subtitle: Executive Producer Pleads Guilty in $89 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
“Sound of Freedom,” a movie centered on child sex trafficking, has surprisingly gained momentum at the box office. However, the film’s success has been marred by controversy, with allegations of ties to QAnon conspiracy theories and its financing being called into question.
The film, which has grossed approximately $50 million, portrays the work of Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), a controversial anti-trafficking non-profit. In a recent interview promoting the film, star Jim Caviezel, who plays the organization’s founder Tim Ballard, made comments suggesting a fringe conspiracy theory associated with QAnon. Caviezel claimed that traffickers were harvesting adrenaline from children, a notion that has been widely debunked.
Both Ballard and OUR have vehemently denied any affiliation or connection to QAnon. Ballard, in an interview with Fox News, expressed his lack of knowledge about the movement. However, in another interview with alt-right figure Jordan Peterson, Ballard made claims of raiding a West African “baby factory” involved in organ harvesting and “Satanic ritual abuse,” theories commonly propagated by the QAnon movement.
Due to these controversies, Operation Underground Railroad announced that it has severed ties with Tim Ballard, the film’s subject and former founder. While Ballard stepped away from OUR before the film’s release, he remains the CEO of The Nazarene Fund, a non-profit founded by conservative commentator Glenn Beck. Beck has been known to amplify QAnon conspiracy theories since departing from Fox News in 2011. Representatives for OUR did not respond to requests for comment.
Furthermore, it has been revealed that one of the film’s executive producers, Andrew McCubbins, is currently awaiting sentencing for his involvement in an $89 million Medicare fraud scheme. McCubbins, a Utah serial entrepreneur, operated a telemedicine company that provided kickbacks to healthcare professionals in exchange for unnecessary prescriptions for genetic screening tests. These tests were then processed by a laboratory owned by McCubbins, with Medicare reimbursing up to $8,000 per test. McCubbins claimed that the funds from his fraudulent scheme were not used in the production of the film.
“Sound of Freedom” had been in production since 2018 but faced delays before being acquired by four Mormon brothers, who engaged in a crowdfunding campaign to ensure its release. McCubbins joined the project as an investor, hoping that the film would help generate awareness and protect trafficked children. Despite McCubbins’ involvement with Operation Underground Railroad, the scale and efficacy of their operations have received criticism from media outlets, trafficking experts, and law enforcement.
Investigations into Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad have been launched by the FBI, IRS, and Department of Homeland Security. These investigations are looking into several allegations, including whether OUR volunteers engaged in sexual acts with trafficking victims and whether the organization inadvertently created demand for trafficking. Representatives for the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to inquiries, while an IRS spokesperson stated that they could neither confirm nor deny any past investigations into OUR.
As the success of “Sound of Freedom” continues at the box office, questions surrounding the film’s ties to conspiracy theories and fraudulent financing have underscored the concerns many have about the sensationalized portrayal of child sex trafficking and the organizations involved.
[End of Article]