Welcome
Welcome to the website established by the Court appointed Receiver Kelly Crawford. Mr. Crawford was appointed the Receiver by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division (the “Receivership Court”) in a lawsuit brought by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and 30 States against Defendants TMTE, Inc., also known as Metals.com, Chase Metals, Inc., Chase Metals, LLC, Barrick Capital, Inc., Lucas Thomas Erb, also known as Lucas Asher, also known as Luke Asher, and Simon Batashvili, and Relief Defendant Tower Equity LLC in Case No. 3:20-CV-2910-L. The purpose of this website is to provide information regarding the receivership to the investors who lost money due to the actions of the Defendants and Relief Defendant.
WARNING TO INVESTORS: If you receive any email communications from metals.com or barrickcapital.com or from any of the defendants, please DISREGARD such communications because they are unauthorized and violate the Court orders that enjoin such communications. If you receive any such communications, please advise the Receiver immediately.
The deadline for submission of completed questionnaires has been extended until January 25, 2021.
You may obtain a Questionnaire by calling the Receiver at (214) 706-4213 or by emailing the Receiver at kelly.crawford@solidcounsel.
The Receiver Kelly Crawford
Kelly Crawford is an attorney in Dallas, Texas. He has served as the receiver or counsel to the receiver in more than 14 cases brought by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the Federal Trade Commission during the past 20 years. He has been appointed the receiver by federal courts in each of the four districts of Texas, as well as by the federal court for the Southern District of New York. He is a founder of the National Association of Federal Equity Receivers.
The Receiver Kelly Crawford may be contacted by telephone at (214) 706-4213, or by email. When contacting Mr. Crawford, if he is not available please leave a message and either Mr. Crawford or one of his attorneys will respond to your message.
Timeline of Events
Important dates of the receivership