Bricks & Minifigs–Reckless Ben controversy
2026 internet and business controversy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In 2026, the American retail franchise Bricks & Minifigs (BAM) and YouTuber "Reckless Ben" Schneider became involved in a dispute over the ownership of a Lego Star Wars collection estimated to be worth about US$200,000. The collection was originally consigned to a BAM franchise location in Keizer, Oregon. In May 2026 Schneider published a series of videos alleging that the collection had been illegally retained following a change in franchise ownership. The controversy has also involved the Police Department of American Fork, Utah, and allegations that they are colluding with Bricks & Minifigs to cover up the scandal.
Bricks & Minifigs
Bricks & Minifigs (BAM) is an American retail franchisor founded in 2009,[‡ 1] specializing in the buying, selling, and trading of new and used Lego products through its over 300 franchised locations in the United States and Canada. The company operates primarily through independently owned franchise stores.
The company was founded and originally headquartered in Battle Ground, Washington by collectors David Ortiz and John Masek, with its first retail outlet opening in 2010. Bricks & Minifigs would be sold to Utah brothers Ammon and Matt McNeff in 2018,[1] with Ammon having served as chief executive officer since the acquisition.[2][3] With the change in ownership, the company's headquarters were relocated to Provo, Utah.[‡ 2]
Consignment dispute
In 2023, 83-year-old Ed Mansell, who was in ill health at the time,[4] consigned his collection of Star Wars Lego sets, which he had been collecting since either the early 1990s or early 2000s, to a Bricks & Minifigs store in Keizer, Oregon, operated by Chrystal Law-Gorman and Benjamin Gorman.[5][6] Mansell's son, Bryan, estimated the value of Ed's sets to be "roughly" $200,000.[7] The Bricks & Minifigs franchise in Keizer also promoted Mansell's collection as "one of the largest private Star Wars Lego collections in the region" on social media, describing it as being "estimated to be worth well over $200,000".[6]
The agreement is reported to have continued until November 2024, when the franchise ownership was transferred to Brandon Best and Joshua Johnson.[8] Law, Gorman, and their LLC have released statements and allege in a lawsuit filed on March 27, 2026, that their Salem-area store was wrongfully seized by BAM Franchising corporate without prior notice, that they were improperly forced out of the store under "threats to 'call the police'", and that they received no compensation for the confiscated assets.[9][10][8][5]
Ed Mansell's son, Bryan Mansell, claimed that after the change in franchise ownership, the new operators refused to return unsold inventory or honor the consignment contract.[11] In response, CEO McNeff stated that BAM Franchising terminated the prior franchise and maintained that consignment agreements are not authorized under franchise rules.[6] Law and Gorman have disputed this claim, releasing images of their former franchising contract on Reddit which states that the "franchisee may also offer consignment services".[9]
Reckless Ben investigation
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Original investigation and follow up content | |
 I tracked down the thief who stole $200,000 of LEGO (investigation, part 1) | |
| I got Bricks and Minifigs leaked Email | |
| Bricks and Minifigs responded to my video | |
| I got arrested because of legos (investigation, part 2) | |
| My response to the Police | |
| All the footage is released! | |
| My final message |
The dispute gained wider attention after 30-year-old Benjamin Paul Schneider,[13] known on social media as Reckless Ben, published investigation videos on YouTube regarding BAM in May 2026.[14][15][16] As part of his investigation, Schneider employed a series of publicity stunts, including organizing lottery-style raffles and creating a mock rival business called "We Steal From Old People".[17][18] These videos include allegations that corporate personnel involved in terminating the franchise agreement had ties to the incoming operators; such allegations have not yet been adjudicated in court, in large part because of Schneider's extensively-documented difficulties in bringing suit against BAM, and purported collusion by Utah police in creating those difficulties.[6][14] Schneider suggests the officers and new owners of the Keizer franchise, Johnson and Best, are all Mormons,[19] leading to speculation on social media that Bricks & Minifigs and the American Fork Police Department are part of a "Mormon Mafia" conspiracy.[20][21]
Schneider shows that the current franchise owners initially offered to return the Lego sets to Mansell if he issued an apology, though they have reportedly not been returned. He subsequently sued the company,[15] though the Keizer franchisee store permanently closed soon after.[11] He also set up a GoFundMe to raise back the money lost by Mansell.[22][23][24] As of June 8, 2026[update], the GoFundMe has raised over $445,000;[25] Schneider announced that he would put the donations in a legal trust to help Mansell pay his legal fees.[26] On May 28, 2026, an internal crisis management email allegedly sent to Bricks & Minifigs franchises was leaked and subsequently read on social media by Schneider.[27]
On June 10, 2026, Schneider claimed to have received a gag order served via email preventing him from posting and talking any further about Bricks & Minifigs.[28]
Company response
The Bricks & Minifigs website has put up a total of four blog posts covering the situation.[‡ 1][‡ 4][‡ 5][‡ 6] CEO Ammon McNeff appeared on a livestream interview on May 29, 2026.[29][‡ 7] He stated that BAM Franchising was not involved in the disputed consignment agreement and argued that responsibility rested with parties directly involved in the original transaction.[6][30] McNeff also claimed that the collection was only worth between $60,000 and $80,000,[17] though later revised this number upwards to $95,000 to $100,000.[‡ 1]
On May 30, 2026, BAM filed a lawsuit accusing Schneider, Mansell, and others of coordinating a harassment and extortion campaign against its franchise owners in Utah and Oregon using the state's RICO statute.[19][31]
On June 4, 2026, Bricks and Minifigs claimed that the Salem, Oregon, store would be permanently closed as part of a supposed mutual agreement to part ways with franchise owners Brandon Best and Joshua Johnson. The company also stated that they had contacted Mansell and his family regarding restitution.[32][33] Best, however, still owns the franchise in Eugene, Oregon.[8][34]
Police response
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Bricks and Minifigs/Benjamin Schneider Media Release |
Schneider claimed to be involved in legal troubles in Utah,[3][16] having been arrested twice there[35] after visiting Johnson at his house in American Fork,[12] once in an attempt to serve him legal papers.[36] Schneider alleged that the American Fork Police Department searched his vehicles, arrested and jailed him for multiple days,[37] and that his shoulder was dislocated by an officer during one of those arrests.[36] On March 10, 2026, Schneider was formally charged with stalking and residential targeted picketing, as well as disorderly conduct and trespassing after multiple stunts at the home of Johnson. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 8, 2026.[19] A second arrest occurred the following day on March 11 with a judge-approved search warrant to search the Airbnb at which Schneider was staying. Schneider and four of his associates were arrested, with everyone but Schneider later released.[13] As of 2026[update], he may face five years in prison, with an arrest warrant that prohibits bail. He claims to have fled to Mexico as a result.[3][19]
On May 29, 2026, the American Fork Police Department published a news release stating that there were no active warrants for Schneider in Utah and that they were not currently seeking him.[19] In the news release, the police also shared videos captured from the body cameras worn by its officers during their interactions with the parties involved.[36] Portions of the videos were either wholly redacted or had audio redacted.[36] Keizer Police confirmed an ongoing investigation reviewed by the Marion County District Attorney's Office, and civil litigation related to the dispute was reported to be ongoing.[11][6] Schneider posted a rebuttal of the police response on June 1.[20][38]
On June 3, a Reddit user claimed to have discovered unredacted body camera and dashcam footage of events, which they said had been shared via a public Dropbox link attached to a YouTube video from the American Fork Police Department.[39] Schneider asserted this footage had been released due to a "hack",[40] but the AFPD says it released the footage accidentally.[41][42] Reddit discussions claimed that the police department had deleted the files soon after their release.[39]
Reactions
The controversy has attracted attention from YouTubers, legal commentators, journalists, and news organizations. Commentary channels such as Cr1TiKaL and xQc have criticized Bricks & Minifigs and the American Fork Police Department's response to the controversy.[43]
On June 3, 2026, Patreon CEO Jack Conte announced in a YouTube video that Bricks and Minifigs had sent them a legal notice to shut down Schneider's Patreon account, and stated that "Bricks & Minifigs can stuff it. We are keeping Ben’s page up. And if Bricks & Minifigs doesn’t like that, they can sue us."[44][45]
Harassment and violence by vigilantes
The controversy has impacted neighboring police departments that have no involvement in the dispute; dispatchers reported receiving a high volume of calls about the case, potentially delaying emergency responses, with some callers being abusive and harassing.[46] On June 4, a locally owned and operated Bricks & Minifigs franchise in Sacramento, California, announced that they would close for at least a week from June 13, aiming to reopen on the 19th,[47] due to harassment, including death threats, in connection to the dispute.[48][49] Another franchise based in San Luis Obispo also reported receiving calls.[7] Schneider has opposed any harassment in his videos, saying that "no one should be getting harassment at all. Not even the bad guys."[31]
