An Atlanta developer says a roughly 736-acre tract in northwest Georgia slipped out of his grasp, and for just $1. Developer Joseph Daniell filed a 14-count complaint in May in Chattooga County Superior Court alleging fraud, civil conspiracy and a slate of related claims tied to a planned 171-home subdivision atop Little Sand Mountain. The lawsuit stretches beyond rural land records and pulls in nonprofits and individuals with international ties.
According to court filings and reporting by South China Morning Post, Daniell says he signed a letter of intent with Tim Lam on July 14, 2025 that promised him a 50% ownership stake, half the project's future cash flow and a developer fee tied to financing. The document, attached to the complaint, also promised reimbursement for expenses and underpinned more than a year of planning, engineering coordination and budget work. Filings describe the site as a retreat and equine-assisted therapy center on Little Sand Mountain.
During what the complaint describes as a routine check of county property records, Daniell says he discovered a quitclaim deed executed Oct. 23, 2025 that shifted title from Christian Zheng Sheng Association Limited US Inc. to New Day Horizons Group Inc. for $1, with the deed recorded a week later. Those details and related filings were reviewed by CBS News Atlanta. Daniell says he was never told the transfer had occurred and that he kept working on the project in good faith.
"The dollar sale of the property is huge," attorney Chris Timmons told CBS News Atlanta. The complaint says Daniell devoted about 13 months to the project, preparing a 171-lot site plan, coordinating engineers and packaging an EB-5 investment loan aimed at roughly $49.6 million, and that he spent about $23,000 of his own money. He is asking the court to impose a constructive trust over the land and to award him the ownership interest and fees he says were promised.
Ties to a Hong Kong Charity
The suit names individuals and entities linked to the Christian Zheng Sheng Association, and reporting notes that the charity's founder, Jacob Lam Hay-sing, is wanted by Hong Kong police. As detailed by South China Morning Post, the complaint identifies family members and associates said to be involved in U.S. operations. New Day Horizons' own site describes the organization as a faith-based ministry entrusted with "700 acres" in north Georgia and lists an address and contact information. One person named in the lawsuit previously pleaded guilty to mail fraud, according to a U.S. Attorney's Office press release.
What's Next in Court
The complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorney's fees, equitable relief and an order setting aside the disputed transfer. Court records and local reporting show the case remains pending in Chattooga County Superior Court, according to AllOnGeorgia. The unusual $1 transfer and the international connections have already pushed the quiet Little Sand Mountain tract into the spotlight as the parties prepare for what could be a lengthy fight over title and money.
Why EB-5 Matters
The complaint's focus on an EB-5 package stands out because the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program is often used to monetize large real-estate developments by allowing qualifying foreign investments to count toward U.S. residency. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services describes EB-5 as a program that grants green cards to investors who make qualifying capital investments that create at least 10 full-time jobs, and the program is commonly used to assemble large financing pools for projects. When EB-5 financing is involved, developers and investors can be tied together in complex structures that complicate ownership disputes.
Whatever happens in Chattooga County, the case highlights how cross-border nonprofits, family networks and investor programs can complicate land deals in rural Georgia. Daniell's suit will test whether the documents he relied on give him enforceable rights or whether the $1 conveyance ultimately moved the land beyond his reach, with motions, discovery and a likely long fight over title and money still ahead.
