Alabama man sentenced in theme park fraud

FLORENCE, Ala. – A man who promised to build a $3.5 billion theme park in northwest Alabama is going to prison for fraud.

A judge in Florence sentenced Bryan Keith Robinson of Killen to 10 years in prison during a hearing Tuesday. Robinson was ordered to repay investors more than $7 million.

Robinson announced plans three years ago to build DreamVision SoundScape, a 1,400-acre amusement park in the Shoals area of northwest Alabama. He and others also announced plans for a similar project in Texas.

Neither park was ever built, and Robinson pleaded guilty to fraud.

The TimesDaily reports that court documents indicate 42 people who invested in Robinson’s plan, with the money supposedly going to finance the project. Instead, authorities allege Robinson spent the money on personal expenses in a Ponzi-style scheme.