The sole investor in the $2.5 billion American Heartland theme park and resort that failed to launch in Vinita, Oklahoma, has alleged fraud and psychological abuse from the developers, according to a lawsuit filed July 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
In the suit, 91-year-old Gene Bicknell, who once owned a large chain of Pizza Hut franchises, alleges that promoters Richard M. Silanskas Jr., Larry K. Wilhite and Stephen D. Hedrick of Mansion Entertainment Group stole $60 million and caused him severe distress that led to a stroke last year.
The suit, which asks for the investment back along with other fees, includes texts and emails from Silanskas and Wilhite impersonating messages from God.
“Silanskas and Wilhite executed a predatory conspiracy of psychological manipulation — convincing Gene, through fraud and impersonation, that God himself was commanding him both to finance the park’s construction and to grant Silanskas and Wilhite two-thirds ownership over the completed venture,” the lawsuit reads.
Developer Mansion Entertainment Group announced in July 2023 designs for the 1,000-acre Americana-themed development, including roller coasters, an indoor water park, a 300-room hotel and an RV park. The footprint of the 125-acre theme portion would rival Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, or Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, in size.
At the time, Hedrick commented publicly that Bicknell was the sole financial backer, per the suit.
“The plan was to use Gene’s money to build the American Heartland Project and then steal it, paying themselves handsomely along the way,” the suit reads. “Silanskas already had a record of involvement in failed theme park projects that left empty-handed investors in their wake.”
The RV area was originally scheduled to open in spring 2025, followed by the theme park and resort in fall 2026. Indeed, the RV area broke ground in 2023 but nothing more has been built besides a fence and a gravel road, according to the suit. Developers claimed that their design team includes former Disney Parks builders and Walt Disney Imagineers, but that was also a lie, the suit alleges.
“The groundbreaking was essentially the beginning and the end of the construction work on the entire Project,” the lawsuit reads. “Innocent people lost money by buying up land near Vinita with property values inflated by news of a theme park that would never exist.”
This is not the first time the project has been sued. Canadian design firm Forrec and Columbus, Kansas-based Crossland Construction both filed claims in May 2024 alleging that they were not paid for their work. At least five lawsuits or arbitrations have been filed by vendors, according to Bicknell’s suit.
Mansion Entertainment Group did not respond to Construction Dive's request for comment on the lawsuit.
