My name is Tim Barton. For 35 years I built a real estate development company in Texas and created thousands of jobs. In September 2022, the federal government took all of it — before any trial, before any jury, before a single accuser ever testified against me.

Here is what happened. A real estate broker named Michael Fu brought in lenders from China to fund a group of Dallas-area land projects. Every dealing with those lenders went through Fu — I never spoke with a single one of them, which the FBI's own interview records confirm. When it came time to repay in 2019, I insisted the money go back to the lenders' original accounts. Fu demanded it be sent to his personal U.S. accounts instead. I refused. I hired an independent investigative firm and reported what looked like a money-laundering scheme to the Department of Homeland Security.

 

 

 

 

The government's response was to come after me. Fu — the man who actually controlled the lenders and the money — pled guilty. I am the one who was arrested at dawn and prosecuted.

The SEC then obtained a sweeping receivership that seized almost everything I owned, including my home and the very funds I needed to defend myself. Much of it was sold off for a fraction of its value. The Fifth Circuit threw out the first receivership as overreach — and the district court reinstated it anyway. (Read the record.)

Four years later, the criminal case still has not gone to trial. Not one of the alleged "victims" has ever appeared in an American court, taken an oath, or submitted proof of claim. When a bankruptcy judge gave them every opportunity to come forward and prove their claims, none did — and that case was dismissed.

I carried this fight all the way to the Supreme Court. Briefs supporting me were filed by constitutional-law organizations, the Texas Attorney General, members of Congress, and a U.S. Senator — from across the political spectrum. 

 

 

 

 

I am asking the President and the Department of Justice to review this case under the administration's directive on weaponized prosecutions, to dismiss the criminal charges, and to end a receivership that has destroyed a family while returning nothing to anyone and ensuring self payments only.

Don't take my word for it — look at the record. The full case file, court filings, and timeline  are at bartonreceivership.net.

Today it's me. With power this unchecked, tomorrow it could be anyone.

Please sign and share. — Tim Barton