An entrepreneur faces accusations of using religious impersonation to defraud an elderly investor in a failed theme park venture. Richard M. Silanskas Jr. admitted in a deposition to sending text messages to 91-year-old O. Gene Bicknell labeled "Today's Word" and signed as a nun named "Sister Catherine."
According to court filings, the messages were designed to convince Bicknell that God commanded him to fund the American Heartland Theme Park in Vinita, Oklahoma, and to grant Silanskas and business partner Larry Wilhite two-thirds ownership of the proposed $2 billion project.
Court documents describe the scheme as "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."
Silanskas operated multiple email accounts while posing as a nun but did not initially disclose this information. He only revealed the full extent of his impersonation in June during proceedings, stating in court documents that he had made the "difficult decision" to "tell the complete truth."
The theme park project was canceled after minimal construction began. Bicknell's 2025 lawsuit names Silanskas, Wilhite, and Stephen Hedrick as defendants and includes claims of RICO violations, civil conspiracy, fraud, deceit, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Court documents note that Bicknell suffered a stroke in July 2024.
