This is a submission from Debbie Farah, Defense-Fund for more information or for interviews with Mr. Barton debbie@defense-fund.com
Visit www.defenese-fund.com and www.bartonreceivership.net to read the full case file, and support the legal fund.
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Americans Are Being Targeted While CCP Agents Are Shielded — Will You Be Next?
In a chilling case that lays bare the ongoing weaponization of government, Timothy Barton, a patriotic Texan businessman, long-time Trump supporter, and Christian real estate developer, is fighting for his life long business — and for the constitutional rights of every American.
For five years, Barton has endured a relentless assault by the SEC, DOJ, rogue judges, and politically motivated forces who prioritized the demands of Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked agents over the constitutional protections owed to an American citizen. His story is not merely a legal dispute; it is the front line in the battle against lawfare and political persecution right here on U.S. soil.
Today, Barton stands stripped of his assets, silenced, and criminalized — all without a jury trial, and all because he dared to report suspicious Chinese financial activity to Homeland Security in 2019.
If this can happen to Barton, it can happen to anyone.
How It All Started
From the beginning, the concept was for Michael Fu and Stephen T. Wall to be partners and someone else not a partner, but as an independent fee developer to develop several distinct raw land into lots with streets and utility access. Initially, that was to be Ron Wellborn, but Fu got crosswise with Wellborn to the point where Wellborn declined to proceed further.
Steve Wall then approached Barton explaining that Fu had the funds, Steve Wall had identified the different projects (some under contract) and seeking Barton to be the independent fee developer of the different projects for an initial fee of 5% of controllable development costs. Fu/Steve Wall were to be the two partners.
Fu targeted Barton, a successful developer, in an effort to infiltrate the U.S. real estate market, launder funds, and seize farmland opportunities alongside Steve Wall. Fu decided he did not want to be an owner in the enterprise, preferring to obtain his return up front through commissions, fees and reimbursements. Then Steve Wall alone was to own the whole overall concept of the projects which Steve Wall had selected, with Barton acting only as an independent fee developer.
The "Wall" name across nine Wall Entities stemmed from Steve Wall, who initially sourced the properties while operating under Carnegie Homes. Over time, Carnegie Development, LLC—became the managing member of these entities. Problems emerged when Wall and his partner Fu failed to fund their 20% commitments, forcing Barton to intervene and salvage troubled deals plagued by zoning, access, and cost issues.
Barton was close to securing multimillion-dollar contracts for key projects like Wall007, LLC and Bear Creek, which would have fully repaid Chinese investors with interest. However, a clean title policy for Wall007, LLC was derailed by Fu’s involuntary bankruptcy filing.
In a clear attempt to distort the original financial agreements, Michael Fu amended the Wall007 and Wall009 co-lender agreements to benefit himself and facilitate money laundering. While Barton’s original receipts specified that both principal and interest would be repaid directly to the original lenders' accounts, Fu altered the terms to redirect repayments to himself under the guise of representing the co-lenders.
Further misrepresentations followed in the SEC case, where Barton’s single trip to China between 2017 and 2019—made solely at Fu’s insistence to attend his company’s annual gala—was falsely portrayed as a fundraising effort. In reality, all fundraising activities orchestrated entirely by Michael Fu and Steve Wall without Barton’s involvement.
Reporting CCP Financial Abuse Made Barton a Target — Under Biden, Lawfare Replaced Justice
In 2019, when Barton discovered that Chinese nationals were attempting to launder money through real estate projects — demanding he divert repayment funds into suspicious U.S. accounts rather than back to China and comply with U.S. tax laws — he took a courageous stand. He reported the activities to Homeland Security through the Guidepost Group.
The Trump Administration rightly declined to pursue Barton based on these reports, recognizing the attempt to use him as a pawn in illicit financial schemes. But after the Biden Administration took office, everything changed.
The DOJ and SEC, instead of investigating the Chinese nationals behind these financial irregularities, turned their prosecutorial might against Barton, launching a full-blown civil and criminal assault. The original foreign agents vanished from scrutiny — and Barton became the enemy.
Shockingly, in 2019, attorney James Oh, representing CCP-linked financier Michael Fu, threatened Barton: comply with Michael Fu’s unlawful demands, or face government prosecution and public ruin. Three years later, the threat came true — Barton was arrested, raided by the FBI at gunpoint, and dragged into court.
What power does a foreign-backed lawyer have to predict — and deliver — federal prosecution against a U.S. citizen? This question demands urgent answers.
Meanwhile, not a single so-called “victim” — none of the Chinese nationals — ever came to court to validate claims against Barton.
No forensic audits. No victims testifying. No evidence of harm.
Yet the DOJ and SEC moved forward with full force, serving CCP interests, not American justice.
At the outset of the SEC investigation, JMJ Holdings was wrongly issued a notice of investigation—an action highlighting the agency’s alarming lack of due diligence. Despite never engaging in any business, let alone dealings with Chinese CCP agents, JMJ Holdings was swept into the probe without cause, exposing the reckless and misinformed nature of the investigation.
Pre-Judgment Asset Seizure: How a Rogue Judge Violated Due Process
Without trial, testimony, or due process, Barton’s entire life was seized through a prejudgment receivership — a move the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals originally ruled unlawful, only for the district court to reimpose it on remand.
Barton’s home, his business, his personal funds — everything was taken.
He remains homeless today.
Barton’s whole business estate, office, legal work products and his son’s business was not spared. All seized by a rogue receiver appointed on a mission to punish Barton without due process. The receiver complied well and stated at the time of seizing that all of Barton estate will be liquidated in 30 days. Duly employed on a mission that he is performing well on the task.
Even more disturbingly, the Fifth Circuit's latest ruling — issued in April 2025 — ratified prejudgment receivership based on unverified assumptions, compounding the injustice. They ignored the glaring reality that private loans are not "securities" and blessed a lawless expropriation of property without trial.
The Fifth circuit opinion created a new ruling against the general norms of conduct and against the Supreme Court ruling [as in SEC vs Jarkesy] that SEC cannot seize assets without a jury trial, but Fifth Circuit is over ruling that and paving way for the broad powers of District Court, even broader powers of the receiver to seize everything and liquidate everything, that too to satisfy their own billing and not pay a single penny against the mortgages, alleged lenders or maintaining a status quo.
Meanwhile, foreign actors continued operating unscathed.
The assault wasn’t limited to courtrooms. In September 2022, at 5:00 AM on a Friday, a team of FBI agents raided Barton’s home in a military-style operation, dragging him in chains, mocking him in front of his neighbors, and refusing to remove his shackles even during an AFIB heart episode at the hospital. Barton was indicted on a Tuesday and was intentionally arrested on a Friday so that he could not get any lawyer or bail from the court. All intentional.
One agent reportedly sneered: "Did you enjoy the showtime?"
This is not law enforcement.
This is government intimidation theater, designed to break the spirit of anyone who dares to resist corruption.
Barton founded JMJ Development, a Christian-named firm (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph), and built a reputation over 35 years as a leader in American real estate.
He was proud to be an ally of the Trump Organization and was one of the earliest backers of America First economic initiatives. He has been one of the true Trump supporter in Texas.
Today, Barton’s companies and properties — totaling over $400 million in real estate — have been liquidated by a court-appointed receiver for mere pennies on the dollar without any proper audits, transparency, or effort to return value to the supposed "victims".
The receiver even refused to prioritize payments to the Chinese nationals supposedly harmed — suggesting they were never real victims to begin with.
Beyond destroying Barton, the weaponized receiver targeted his family — including suing his daughter, son and ex-wife.
They sued all his lawyers, all distinguished lawyers, while knowing and stating that they had been working in good faith. They went with all out force and did not spare donors to his defense fund.
Even Cort Thomas, counsel to the receiver, attempted to suppress Barton’s right to raise money for his legal defense, filing threats against anyone who might dare support him — actions now fully protected under a rogue Judge Brantley Starr’s orders.
Even with the vested powers through Judge Brantley Starr and under his protection, going after each and every lawyer that has counseled for Barton to know every penny details where Barton is getting support. Their mission is to terrorize and destroy Barton nothing less than that, all because of the reason that he is fighting for his justice.
Where is Congress' outrage when an American citizen's right to defend himself is criminalized?
To even bring this case, the SEC redefined private loans as "securities", an unprecedented expansion of federal power.
If allowed to stand, this new definition means every private loan between American citizens could be subject to SEC regulation and seizure.
No business owner, no entrepreneur, no citizen will be safe from bureaucratic overreach.
The Fifth Circuit’s shocking affirmation of this theory paves the way for an America where the government can seize your assets before trial — simply because you did business with the wrong people at the wrong time.
Barton’s only "crime" was refusing to participate in illicit CCP money-laundering operations.
He sought lawful mediation, retained a former U.S. ambassador for negotiations, and offered to repay every dollar — provided the funds returned legally to Chinese banks and taxes were paid.
The Chinese agents refused. They wanted U.S. funds diverted to covert accounts.
When Barton refused, the full weight of the weaponized DOJ and SEC came crashing down on him.
The Fifth Circuit's recent ruling is a national disgrace.
District Court Judge Brantley Starr, who was tasked with protecting rights, instead presided over the systematic annihilation of a Trump supporter’s life’s work.
Barton’s case isn't an isolated incident.
It’s part of a larger pattern, where judges emboldened by lawfare tactics have discarded the Constitution to punish political dissidents.
"accountability must come from the top — including the Trump Administration stepping in to dismantle rogue agencies and rogue judges”
- Demand Congress investigate the DOJ, SEC, and judiciary weaponization against U.S. citizens.
- Demand the dismantling of unconstitutional prejudgment receiverships that destroy lives before trial.
- Demand immediate relief and restitution for Tim Barton and the countless others who will follow if lawfare is allowed to continue.
Tomorrow, it could be YOU.
Justice delayed is justice denied. It's time to end this lawfare.
It's time to stop rogue judges who serve CCP interests over American rights.
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