Overview

• Gene Bicknell filed suit on July 25 in the US District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma alleging Richard Silanskas Jr., Stephen Hedrick and Larry Wilhite ran a criminal enterprise to secure his funding.
• The complaint describes hundreds of emails and texts from a fake “Sister Catherine” and messages purporting to be divine commands pressuring Bicknell’s Christian faith.
• Only a fence and gravel road were ever installed on the proposed 1,000-acre Vinita site and the park’s website has been taken offline.
• After investing over $60 million, Bicknell declared bankruptcy in late 2023 and unpaid contractors and designers have since filed claims for owed work.
• Bicknell’s filing includes charges of racketeering, fraud, civil conspiracy and unjust enrichment and seeks monetary damages and injunctive relief.