It appears Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes envisioned himself on the big screen, according to a new lawsuit, and pitched a scene he wrote to his friend Tim Ballard — whose story provides a loose basis for the movie “Sound of Freedom.”
The lawsuit, which accuses Reyes of using his office to try to silence a critic of Ballard and the nonprofit he founded, Operation Underground Railroad, includes a 2018 email exchange where Reyes writes about the anti-trafficking exploits of Utah Attorney General “David Reyes,” who is described as “early 40′s — energetic — Hawaiian/Hispanic/Asian of larger build — former MMA fighter now elected official.”
The scene opens in the Utah attorney general’s office at the Utah Capitol where “David Reyes” is talking on the phone with a Homeland Security official about a major bust — based on the arrest of Victor Rax, who was charged in 2014 with sex trafficking and killed himself while in custody.
According to the exhibit, Ballard replied to Reyes, “This is awesome! Love it,” and said he would pass it along to Alejandro — presumably Alejandro Monteverde, who co-wrote and directed “Sound of Freedom.”
The scene, according to the 2018 email, was for a movie titled “Cry of Freedom.” Ballard’s “Sound of Freedom” was released in 2023.
You can read the entire scene in the exhibit below:
Reyes Scene by Robert Gehrke on Scribd
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