Atlanta developer alleges multimillion-dollar Georgia development scheme after $1 property transfer

The promise seemed straightforward.

A Georgia real estate developer would spend more than a year transforming hundreds of acres atop Little Sand Mountain into a master-planned residential community. 

In return, according to a signed letter of intent, he would receive half ownership of the venture, half of its future cash flow, a developer fee tied to nearly $50 million in financing and reimbursement for his work.

Instead, developer Joseph Daniell now alleges he spent more than a year helping plan the project only to discover the property at the center of the deal had been transferred to a nonprofit for $1 without his knowledge.

The allegations are detailed in a lawsuit filed in May in Chattooga County Superior Court. The complaint accuses multiple defendants of fraud, civil conspiracy and other claims stemming from the planned 171-home development on approximately 736 acres atop Little Sand Mountain.

The complaint also identifies several defendants as having ties to the Christian Zheng Sheng Association, a Hong Kong charity whose founder, Jacob Lam Hay-sing, is wanted by Hong Kong police in an unrelated criminal investigation. 

None of the allegations in the Georgia lawsuit have been proven in court, and the defendants have yet to file responses to the complaint.

Representing Daniell, attorney Chris Timmons said the lawsuit centers on what his client alleges was a fraudulent transfer of the property's ownership.

"The dollar sale of the property is huge," Timmons told CBS News Atlanta. "That's indicative of fraud. You don't do that in a legitimate transaction. You don't remove the asset."

A year of work on a multimillion-dollar project

According to the complaint, Daniell began working with defendant Tim Lam in 2025 on plans to transform the property into a master-planned residential community in Chattooga County.

The lawsuit alleges Daniell devoted approximately 13 months to the project, coordinating engineering work, developing budgets, preparing job-creation analyses and creating a master plan for the proposed subdivision.

Timmons said Daniell's work also included assembling an EB-5 investment package designed to secure approximately $49.6 million in foreign investment financing.

"He created the master plan. He created the 171-lot site plan. He did the project budgets. He did job creation analysis, and he did packaging for an EB-5 investment construction loan," Timmons said. "That probably was the biggest thing Joseph added to the process."

The lawsuit alleges Daniell also spent approximately $23,000 of his own money while performing hundreds of hours of work with the expectation that he would become a 50% owner of the development.

According to the complaint, those expectations were outlined in a Letter of Intent signed July 14, 2025, by Daniell and defendant Tim Lam.

The Letter of Intent, which is attached to the lawsuit, states Daniell would receive:

• a 50% ownership interest in the development entity;
• 50% of future project cash flow;
• a developer fee equal to 10% of the foreign investment construction financing raised; and
• reimbursement for his time and project expenses.

Timmons said the Letter of Intent remains one of the strongest pieces of evidence supporting his client's claims.

"The letter of intent is probably our biggest document that supports our allegation," he said.

For months, according to the lawsuit, Daniell continued working under the belief that the development was moving forward.

Then, Timmons said, a review of county property records revealed a transaction that fundamentally changed his client's understanding of the project.

The document that raised new questions

For months, according to the lawsuit, nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

Daniell continued developing plans for the proposed 171-home community, coordinating engineering work, preparing development documents and helping assemble financing for the project.

Then, according to Timmons, a routine review of Chattooga County property records uncovered a document that changed his client's understanding of the deal.

According to the complaint, a quitclaim deed executed on Oct. 23, 2025, transferred ownership of the approximately 736-acre property from Christian Zheng Sheng Association Limited US Inc. to another Georgia nonprofit, New Day Horizons Group Inc., for $1.

The deed was recorded in Chattooga County one week later.

The lawsuit alleges Daniell was never informed the transfer had occurred and continued working on the project after ownership of the property had changed.

"It was my client who realized it when he checked the deed on the property and found out that it had been transferred to another entity for a dollar," Timmons said.

"A dollar," he continued. "It's a multimillion-dollar project with multimillion-dollar land value that was transferred for $1 from the company that Joseph Daniell had the agreement with to another company that was run by Tim Lam."

The property transfer forms the basis for several claims in the lawsuit.

According to the complaint, New Day Horizons was incorporated months before the transfer and existed primarily to receive title to the property. The lawsuit further alleges Lam remained in control of both organizations before and after the conveyance.

The complaint argues the transfer was not a legitimate change in ownership but an effort to place the property beyond Daniell's reach. 

Those allegations have not been proven in court, and the allegations have not been tested in court.

What CBS News Atlanta found

A review of Georgia corporate records and IRS records by CBS News Atlanta shows New Day Horizons Group Inc. received federal tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in December 2025.

CBS News Atlanta also reviewed the organization's website, which describes New Day Horizons as "a Christian 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry created to restore lives, families, and communities through Christ-centered healing, counseling, and discipleship."

The website further states the organization has been entrusted with "700 acres of mountains, forests, and flowing water in North Georgia" that it describes as "a sacred place unlike any traditional camp or counseling center."

Public information on the organization's website identifies Atlanta-area real estate broker Emily Fu as its executive director.

Fu is also named as a defendant in Daniell's lawsuit.

The complaint alleges Fu participated in the development project and notes she previously pleaded guilty in federal court to mail fraud in an unrelated real estate fraud case. 

That conviction is separate from the allegations raised in the Chattooga County lawsuit.

CBS News Atlanta also attempted to find corporate records, phone numbers, and legal documents for Christian Zheng Sheng Association Limited US Inc., but publicly available information on the organization was limited.

Why the deed matters

The lawsuit points to another transaction that it argues raises questions about the property's transfer.

According to the complaint, more than a month after the land was supposed to have new owners, Christian Zheng Sheng Association Limited US paid $15,650 for work done on the land. The complaint says Tim Lam agreed to pay for this work by email.

The lawsuit says that if the land really had a new owner, the old owner should not still be spending money on it. This makes people wonder if the land was really sold.

Timmons said the recorded quitclaim deed, together with the parties' Letter of Intent, forms the foundation of his client's case.

"The letter of intent is probably our biggest document," Timmons said. "Also the deed transfer for $1. Those would be our two biggest documents that we're relying on."

As of publication, none of the defendants had filed responses addressing those allegations in court.

What happens next

The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorney's fees, equitable relief and an order setting aside the disputed property transfer.

Daniell is also asking the court to impose a constructive trust over the property and award him the ownership interest, compensation and development fees he says he was promised under the parties' Letter of Intent.

Timmons said his client ultimately wants what he describes as "the benefit of the bargain" — including a 50% ownership interest in the development, half of the project's future cash flow, the agreed-upon developer fee tied to the EB-5 financing package and reimbursement for the time and money he invested.

"We're seeking to put Joseph back," Timmons said. "We want him to get the benefit of the deal."

Timmons also said his client believes the Georgia property remains available to satisfy any judgment should he prevail because the land remains in Chattooga County. 

As of publication, none of the defendants had filed responses to the complaint in Chattooga County Superior Court. Timmons said he was unsure whether every defendant had been formally served.

CBS News Atlanta attempted to contact Tim Lam, Christian Zheng Sheng Association Limited US Inc., New Day Horizons Group Inc. and Emily Moerdomo Fu for comment.

Fu declined to comment by phone, and CBS News Atlanta had not received responses from the remaining parties by the time of publication.