Reckless Ben: Bricks & Minifigs Investigation

In view

In November 2023, Bryan Mansell and his father Eric Mansell consigned a Lego Star Wars collection to a Bricks & Minifigs store in Salem, Oregon. Kotaku (Lewis Parker, 10 June 2026) reports the collection was "valued at somewhere between $200,000 and $250,000." The Salt Lake Tribune (dek only, paywalled body, 20 August 2026) separately states "$200,000 collection" in the headline context. The two dollar figures are not pooled — each outlet's characterization remains separate.

The franchise changed hands in November 2024. Bricks & Minifigs Franchising, Inc. (BAMF) terminated the Salem franchise agreement held by Chrystal Law and Benjamin Gorman and transferred the location to new owners Brandon Best and Joshua Johnson (Kotaku, 10 June 2026).

The Mansells claimed the collection was not returned and that payments were incomplete. Reckless Ben (Ben Schneider) published two videos in May 2026 investigating the dispute. Kotaku reports the first video, posted 21 May, was titled "I tracked down the thief who stole $200,000 of LEGO." The second, posted 30 May, was titled "I got arrested because of legos."

Observations

Company position

Bricks & Minifigs corporate released a statement on 21 May 2026 (reported in Kotaku): "Bricks & Minifigs Corporate (BAM Franchising, Inc.) was not a party to [the consignment with the store's original owners], nor were subsequent franchisees who took on the ownership of the Salem location. Corporate did not sign, approve, or authorize this arrangement."

KSL (Emily Ashcraft, 7 July 2026) reports a company statement: records show "$61,000 of the collection was sold before the franchise changed hands, but Mansell may have only received $15,000 in payments." The statement continues: "The records suggest a discrepancy may exist between what was sold and paid to him, which the company is still investigating." New owners Best and Johnson found "only a small number of Star Wars products, with an estimated at-cost value between $2,000 and $5,000" when they took over. The company "committed to giving him those sets, whether or not they belonged to his collection, 'as a courtesy,'" and "made the offer multiple times beginning in December 2024."

On 4 June 2026, Bricks & Minifigs announced "immediate closure" of the Salem store and a "mutual agreement to part ways with franchise owners Brandon Best and Joshua Johnson due to a devastating social media campaign" (Kotaku, 10 June 2026). CEO Ammon McNeff stated the company "finally have enough to proceed with a resolution" and offered to "sit down" with Bryan Mansell to "ensure you are made whole monetarily."

Criminal charges

Schneider faces two separate criminal cases in Utah, as reported by KSL (7 July 2026):

Provo Justice Court: Charged in April 2026 with disorderly conduct (class C misdemeanor) and criminal trespass (class B misdemeanor) after confronting McNeff at the Bricks & Minifigs corporate office on 10 December 2025. Next hearing scheduled 15 September 2026.

4th District Court: Charged with stalking (class A misdemeanor) and targeted residential picketing (class B misdemeanor) related to actions near Johnson's American Fork home in March 2026. Hearing continued to 12 August 2026.

Kotaku (10 June 2026) reports that on "March 10, 2026, Ben and several members of his film crew were arrested and formally charged with several crimes including stalking, targeted picketing, and trespassing." The exact charges listed by Kotaku and KSL are not pooled into a single charge sheet — each outlet's reporting reflects separate filings or reporting moments.

KSL reports McNeff called police claiming Schneider and associates had "threatened to burn down their offices and kill them" and "asked them multiple times to leave and they would not leave." A police department woman stated in a recorded call (played in Schneider's video) that "extortion, as McNeff claimed, did not fit the situation," but suggested "aggravated commercial obstruction, a second-degree felony" would require Schneider to "remain at the location unlawfully." Schneider was never charged with aggravated commercial obstruction; he was charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing.

Civil litigation and restraining orders

On 28 May 2026, "BAM FRANCHISING, INC." filed a temporary restraining order (TRO) against Schneider, Bryan Mansell, and Victor Nguyen in Utah Fourth Judicial District Court. Judge Tony F. Graf, Jr. approved service via email (Kotaku, 10 June 2026).

A 4th District Court temporary order initially prohibited Schneider from posting content about Bricks & Minifigs. U.S. District Judge David Barlow signed a preliminary injunction on 7 July 2026, lifting the content ban but maintaining proximity restrictions: Schneider and associates must stay at least 100 meters from Bricks & Minifigs locations or offices and not trespass, make threats, interfere with business, or destroy property (KSL, 7 July 2026).

The case was moved to federal court. KSL reports Judge Barlow "has not yet decided whether the case should be in the federal courts" and requested information about where employees of Schneider's company, Reckless Ben, live.

Bricks & Minifigs Franchising filed a lawsuit accusing Schneider and Mansell of a "coordinated multi-platform campaign" containing "false accusations, fabricated claims, deceptive practices and manufactured confrontations to extort money, racketeer, profiteer and damage [the] Plaintiffs and their business interests" (Kotaku, 10 June 2026). The litigation remained active as of the KSL report.

GoFundMe and crowdfunding

Kotaku (10 June 2026) reports a GoFundMe "stands at roughly $456,000 as of this writing." The figure is attributed to Kotaku's 10 June observation — the desk does not update it or treat it as a current total.

Allegations of police collusion

Reckless Ben's second video (30 May 2026) alleged American Fork Police Department officers were colluding with Best and Johnson, claiming the officers are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints alongside the franchise owners (Kotaku, 10 June 2026). Schneider alleged officers stopped, searched, and arrested his crew on several occasions, including a car search after police "allegedly received a tip that it contained heroin" and a raid of his Airbnb "on suspicion that it housed the Mansell family's Lego collection."

American Fork Police Chief Cameron Paul released a video addressing the allegations (Kotaku, 10 June 2026). On 3 June 2026, a Dropbox link in the video's description was updated with a folder titled "Unredacted Body & Dashcam." Kotaku states: "we still can't confirm whether the footage is indeed real" as of 10 June 2026.

Inferences

On motive

The Mansells' motive appears to be recovering their collection or compensation. Schneider's stated motive is helping the Mansells. BAMF's motive in the civil suit appears to be halting what it characterizes as a damaging campaign.

Whether the franchise transition was deliberately concealing the consignment, a chaotic handoff, or negligence is contested. Each party's account remains a claim pending adjudication.

On the company's position

The company admits a payment discrepancy "may exist." This is not a finding that the consignment was honored or that the Mansells are made whole — it is an acknowledgment of incomplete records and an offer to resolve.

The closure of the Salem franchise on 4 June 2026 and the separation from Best and Johnson occurred after the video series gained attention. The company frames this as responding to a "devastating social media campaign." Whether the closure reflects corporate accountability or damage control is an inference; the docket object is the announced closure.

On the criminal charges

Schneider was charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing for the 10 December 2025 confrontation — not with aggravated commercial obstruction, despite police discussion of that charge. The stalking and targeted picketing charges relate to actions near Johnson's home, not the corporate office.

The charges are pending. A charge is not a conviction. The allegations in the probable cause statements (which the desk did not open) are not established facts.

On police conduct

Schneider alleges collusion; American Fork Police released a response video and unredacted bodycam footage (or footage labeled as such). The desk does not establish a "Mormon Mafia" or confirm the footage's authenticity from Kotaku's reporting alone. Independent forensic analysis of the footage is not in the opened record.

Risks and gaps

The desk has not opened:

• The full Bricks & Minifigs civil complaint.
• Probable cause statements or charging documents for the criminal cases.
• The TRO or preliminary injunction text in full.
• Schneider's Reckless Ben videos directly (YouTube content is primary only for printed metadata, not for findings claimed in video).
• The unredacted bodycam footage files.
• Mansell family depositions or affidavits.
• Law and Gorman's account beyond what Kotaku reports.

The Salt Lake Tribune articles on Bricks & Minifigs (30 May, 10 July, 20 August 2026) were paywalled to headline/dek only. The desk binds only what loaded. If the full body becomes accessible, additional claims may bind.

Next safe step

The criminal cases proceed toward hearings. The federal court will rule on jurisdiction. The civil litigation will advance through discovery or settle. The desk does not predict outcomes.

If the unredacted bodycam footage is authenticated by independent forensic analysis, that would be a new bindable object. If the civil case produces a settlement or judgment, that disposition will be a new public record. If Schneider is convicted or acquitted, that outcome will be a new docket object.

The catalog does not claim Schneider's videos are true or false. It does not claim the charges are justified or retaliatory. It separates what the channel published, what independent press reports, and what the legal record shows.

Sources

All extracts verified character-for-character on opened pages.

KSL (Emily Ashcraft, 7 July 2026, 9:00 PM)

URL: https://www.ksl.com/article/51595241/lego-saga-updates-reckless-ben-posts-new-video-as-federal-court-lifts-ban

• "Ben Schneider, known on YouTube as Reckless Ben, said his First Amendment rights have been reinstated after the Utah District Court signed a preliminary injunction replacing the 4th District Court temporary order, which required him to not post content related to Bricks and Minifigs."
• "Schneider went viral making videos with a goal to help Bryan Mansell get back Star Wars Legos he claimed were stolen following a consignment agreement with a since-closed Bricks and Minifigs franchise location in Oregon."
• Company statement: "$61,000 of the collection was sold before the franchise changed hands, but Mansell may have only received $15,000 in payments." "The records suggest a discrepancy may exist between what was sold and paid to him, which the company is still investigating."
• New owners Best and Johnson; remaining product "estimated at-cost value between $2,000 and $5,000"; offered "as a courtesy."
• U.S. District Judge David Barlow signed preliminary injunction; 100 meters from BAM locations; no trespass, threats, business interference, property destruction. Barlow "has not yet decided whether the case should be in the federal courts."
• Attorney Scott Young (Schneider). CEO Ammon McNeff.
• Provo Justice Court: charged April with disorderly conduct (class C) and criminal trespass (class B) after 10 Dec 2025 confrontation; next hearing 15 Sept.
• 4th District: stalking (class A) and targeted residential picketing (class B) near Johnson's American Fork home in March. Hearing continued to 12 Aug; defense attorneys Jeremy Delicino and Jon Williams.

Kotaku (Lewis Parker, 10 June 2026)

URL: https://kotaku.com/reckless-ben-lego-star-wars-bricks-minifigs-mormon-mafia-2000702999

• November 2023 consignment: Bryan and Eric Mansell, Salem, Oregon Bricks & Minifigs; "valued at somewhere between $200,000 and $250,000."
• First video 21 May titled "I tracked down the thief who stole $200,000 of LEGO." Second 30 May titled "I got arrested because of legos."
• Prior work: slacklining; Scientology videos; McKamey Manor investigation.
• BAM corporate statement 21 May: corporate "was not a party to [the consignment], nor were subsequent franchisees who took on the ownership of the Salem location. Corporate did not sign, approve, or authorize this arrangement."
• Arrests: "March 10, 2026, Ben and several members of his film crew were arrested and formally charged with several crimes including stalking, targeted picketing, and trespassing."
• TRO: 28 May BAM FRANCHISING, INC. filed TRO against Schneider, Bryan Mansell, Victor Nguyen; Judge Tony F. Graf, Jr. GoFundMe "roughly $456,000 as of this writing" (10 June).
• 4 June BAM announced "immediate closure" of Salem store and "mutual agreement to part ways with franchise owners Brandon Best and Joshua Johnson due to a devastating social media campaign."
• McNeff offer to "sit down" with Mansell and "ensure you are made whole monetarily."
• Schneider's claim: American Fork officers are LDS, colluding with Best/Johnson. Police chief video and Dropbox "unredacted" bodycam. Kotaku: "we still can't confirm whether the footage is indeed real."

Salt Lake Tribune (paywalled to headline/dek only, 20 August 2026)

URL: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/08/20/bricks-minifigs-settlement-one/

• Dek: "Two other lawsuits continue, stemming from the $200,000 collection's disappearance."

Cross-reference: Reckless Ben (parent), Provo Canyon School investigation, McKamey Manor investigation.