US Edition92-Year-Old Investor Files Fraud Lawsuit Against Theme Park Developers
VINITA, OKLAHOMA, JUL 31 – O. Gene Bicknell alleges he was defrauded of $60 million through psychological manipulation involving fake religious messages in a failed $2 billion Oklahoma theme park project.
- In 2023, 91-year-old investor O. Gene Bicknell initiated a federal lawsuit in Tulsa against the organizers of a proposed $2 billion theme park project located near Vinita, Oklahoma, known as the American Heartland Theme Park.
- Bicknell alleges defendants Richard Silanskas Jr., Larry Wilhite, and Stephen Hedrick deceived and manipulated him using religious impersonations to coerce $60 million into the stalled park project.
- The park was intended to open in 2026 as a 125-acre Americana-themed resort promising 4,000 jobs and regional economic growth, but it only produced a fence and gravel road.
- The lawsuit claims the defendants engaged in a criminal enterprise violating federal RICO laws and profited from the scheme, with Silanskas making $648,000, Wilhite $450,000, and Hedrick $1.5 million.
- The legal action highlights severe financial losses, emotional distress including Bicknell's 2024 stroke, harmed community expectations, and questions about the project's viability going forward.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Fraud and manipulation alleged in $2B lawsuit involving planned OK ‘Disneyland’ amusement park
VINITA, Okla. – A Branson entertainment mogul has filed a federal lawsuit accusing three men of duping him out of more than $60 million in the development of a theme park, that was supposed to be the "Disneyland" equivalent, to be built in northeast Oklahoma. Gene Bicknell filed a 68-page civil federal lawsuit on July 25 in the Northern District of Oklahoma against Richard M. Silanskas Jr., Larry K. Wilhite, and Stephen Hedrick. According to the…
Lawsuit claims 91-year-old was manipulated using 'religious faith' to fund American Heartland park
A new lawsuit alleges fraud and psychological abuse after a 91-year-old man said he was tricked into investing millions of dollars into a new amusement park.
American Heartland investor files fraud lawsuit against developers
VINITA, Okla. (KFOR) — The future of the American Heartland theme park looks bleak after an investor filed a lawsuit against the developers for fraud. It was promised as 'Disney in the Heartland' after the $2 billion theme park was announced two years ago in Vinita; however, construction on the park never happened, and the new lawsuit may just be the fatal blow. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: $2 billion theme park, resort coming to northeast Oklahoma …
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