North Texas Luxury Doomsday Resort Files For Bankruptcy
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — A prepper's paradise touted for North Texas will apparently not be realized.
Trident Lakes, a residential community marketed as a five-star resort built to withstand a nuclear war, on Thursday filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, according to court records.
The filing comes a week after CBS 11 News reported that the development's owner, John Eckerd, is facing federal criminal charges. According to the FBI, Eckerd agreed earlier this year to launder millions of dollars in Colombian drug money through Trident Lakes. He has been free on bond since being arrested in March.
Eckerd, a McKinney resident, also submitted bankruptcy papers for himself and two of his other companies on Thursday. According to court records, Eckerd and his companies have $12-70 million in combined debt.
If granted by the court, Chapter 7 allows individuals and companies to liquidate assets to pay debts. According to the filings, Eckerd and his companies have $3-30 million in combined assets.
Attempts to reach Eckerd on Friday were unsuccessful. Gerrit M. Pronske, his bankruptcy attorney, told CBS 11 News that he didn't know enough to comment.
"I'm pretty new to this case," Pronske said.
Trident Lakes began making headlines two years ago during a push to drum up interest in the proposed $400-million project billed as a luxury playground with unprecedented security, survivability and sustainability.
The development, located in Fannin County an hour northeast of Dallas, boasts of proposed golf course, equestrian center, resort spas and 400 underground condos equipped to withstand catastrophic events from viral epidemics to nuclear war.
"It's going to be a five-star resort with DEFCON preparedness," Trident Lakes spokesman Richie Whitt told CBS 11 in November 2016.
Whitt, a longtime fixture of the North Texas sports media scene, left his position in January.
Court Document: John Keith Eckerd, Jr. Bankruptcy
Court Document: La Mia Bella Famigilia, LP
Court Document: Imaginomics LLC
Trident Lakes Property Holdings LLC Bankruptcy by CBS 11 News on Scribd
