Over the past month, the Bricks & Minifigs and Reckless Ben controversy has exploded into one of the most widely discussed scandals in LEGO history, involving leaked documents, viral videos, and escalating legal action.
We have chronologically listed the key events in the saga, as well as when new information is expected to emerge. This is not simply a recap of Reckless Ben’s videos, and it does not repeat every minor claim made within them. Instead, it focuses on the major developments that contribute to the broader story. It also does not present BAM statements as fact and instead reflects the disputed nature of the claims where relevant.
1999 to 2023: The Mansell collection begins and expands
The story began in October 1999 when 56-year-old Ed Mansell first began collecting LEGO Star Wars sets. Over the following two decades, his collection expanded to roughly 780 sealed sets and around 1,200 rare minifigures. By 2023, as Ed’s health declined at age 83, his son Bryan Mansell stepped in to manage the planned sale of the collection, with proceeds intended to fund higher education for Ed’s grandchildren.
2023 to October 2024: Franchise purchase and consignment agreement
At the same time, Chrystal Law-Gorman and novelist Benjamin Gorman purchased the Salem-Keizer, Oregon franchise of Bricks & Minifigs (BAM). Under BAM’s franchise model, franchisees pay royalties to Corporate but remain fully responsible for daily operations, leases, and local banking. The Gormans later alleged that BAM Corporate failed to properly transfer key accounts and lease responsibilities.
By September 2023, Bryan Mansell and the Gormans entered discussions about a consignment arrangement in which Mansell would retain ownership of his LEGO sets while the store sold them on commission. After a trial run at Rose City Comic Con, they signed a formal 65/35 consignment agreement.
The store’s Facebook page publicly promoted the acquisition, estimating the collection’s value at over $200,000. The contract stated that Mansell retained full ownership of all items until sale. Throughout late 2023 and into early 2024, Mansell received approximately $15,000 through monthly audits and payments. BAM Corporate later alleged that internal point-of-sale data – the transactional information collected when a customer makes a purchase – showed over $52,000 in actual sales during the same period and claimed discrepancies between reported figures and internal spreadsheets.
November 2024: Franchise collapse and consignment breakdown
On November 8, 2024, the Gormans informed BAM Corporate that the store was insolvent, citing nearly $200,000 in unpaid royalties, lease debts, and vendor obligations. They announced plans to dissolve the business and relocate to Europe, publicly attributing the decision to political and personal factors, while corporate records pointed to severe financial distress.
Six days later, BAM Corporate removed the Gormans from the franchise and transferred control of the store to new franchisees Brandon Best and Joshua Johnson. Video evidence showed Best arriving at the storefront with a U-Haul truck, contradicting later public statements that referenced a standard rental vehicle.
Security footage allegedly captured the outgoing operators warning incoming management that Mansell’s consignment inventory remained inside the building and did not belong to the store. The presence of the U-Haul has led to claims that portions of the inventory were subsequently removed and transported to Eugene, Oregon, where Best and Johnson own another store, though this remains disputed.
When Bryan Mansell arrived at the store in late November to collect his payment, he found the Gormans gone. The new management reportedly denied knowledge of his consignment agreement and told him to pursue the matter with the previous operators. Local police declined to intervene, classifying the matter as civil. On November 22, 2024, Mansell formally terminated the consignment agreement. BAM alleges that the Gormans' legal counsel sent a letter in December asserting damages related to the termination of their franchise agreement.
2025: Reckless Ben’s investigation and public escalation
Mansell then contacted independent documentary YouTuber Reckless Ben (Ben Schneider), beginning a private investigative phase throughout 2025 in which they gathered records and attempted to trace the missing assets.
In April 2025, Mansell brought the dispute into the public sphere for the first time via the Collecting Weekly podcast, alleging that the new franchise operators had effectively taken over the store, withheld his property, and assumed his family lacked the resources to challenge them.
Eight months later, Schneider travelled to Utah and confronted BAM Corporate’s offices in Provo, resulting in misdemeanour charges for alleged trespassing and disorderly conduct.
March 2026: Arrests, protests, and online fallout
In March 2026, Schneider escalated his public campaign in Utah, including protests and the creation of a satirical competing business titled ‘We Steal From Old People’. On March 10, after an incident involving an actor dressed as a UPS driver approaching Joshua Johnson’s residence, Johnson contacted law enforcement. Police arrested Schneider on charges including stalking, trespassing, and targeted residential picketing. Schneider later alleged that an officer dislocated his shoulder during the arrest.
The following day, police executed a search warrant at Schneider’s Airbnb, arresting him and four associates while searching for evidence and allegedly stolen LEGO sets.
Online discussion then intensified around alleged connections between local figures involved in the case, including claims that Joshua Johnson’s father held a senior position in the local Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) church community and that responding officers were part of the same stake or ward. These claims circulated widely online resulting in a conspiracy known as the ‘Mormon Mafia’.
Facing serious charges and potential prison time, Schneider missed a mandatory court date, resulting in a no-bail warrant. He subsequently fled to Mexico. On the same day, March 27, the Gormans formally filed an asset seizure lawsuit against BAM Corporate, escalating their legal claims from earlier correspondence.
May 2026: YouTube video release and legal action intensifies
On May 21, Schneider released Part 1 of his documentary series, which gained millions of views and drew attention from major commentary creators including Cr1TiKaL and xQc. In late May, the Gormans posted copies of their original agreements on Reddit, while Schneider released additional material, including an alleged internal BAM corporate email outlining crisis management strategy.
In response, BAM Corporate filed to compel arbitration and secured a temporary restraining order (TRO) and gag order restricting further public commentary. BAM representatives argued that consignment arrangements of this type were not authorised under franchise rules, while opposing parties pointed to contract clauses that appeared to permit them.
BAM Corporate filed a civil RICO lawsuit on May 30, naming Schneider, Bryan Mansell, and others as part of what it described as a coordinated enterprise. A RICO lawsuit is a legal action brought under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a U.S. law originally designed to combat organised crime. It allows plaintiffs to allege that individuals or groups participated in a pattern of illegal activity as part of an enterprise. If successful, BAM could recover three times the amount of actual damages suffered, as well as attorneys' fees and court costs. BAM also sought the removal of crowdfunding pages supporting Schneider's legal defence.
June 2026: Legal fallout, media attention, and court battles
On June 3, Patreon CEO Jack Conte publicly rejected BAM’s takedown request. Around the same time, police bodycam and dashcam footage of Schneider’s arrest briefly appeared in a public upload before being removed. Internet users archived the material, later pointing to alleged inconsistencies between the footage and official reports, including claims that bodycam audio was muted during key moments and that dashcam footage contradicted written statements regarding a stop sign violation.
Following public backlash, BAM Corporate dissolved the Salem-Keizer franchise location and severed ties with franchisees Brandon Best and Joshua Johnson, while attempting to distance the corporate brand from the dispute. BAM also revised earlier valuation claims, stating the disputed inventory was closer to $95,000 to $100,000 rather than $200,000.
By this point, crowdfunding efforts for Bryan Mansell exceeded $445,000, and public protests occurred at an American Fork City Council meeting regarding alleged police misconduct.
On June 10, a Utah court upheld a civil TRO restricting Schneider’s public statements. Schneider later released a video titled ‘bad news / my final message’, stating he was effectively silenced under the order.
A day later, investigative journalist Coffeezilla published an analysis of the financial records. He concluded that the widely reported $200,000 valuation was based on an early press estimate rather than a professional appraisal and placed the collection’s original value closer to $107,000. He further calculated that approximately $82,000 worth of inventory should have remained by November 2024, but noted discrepancies in sales tracking and missing stock, leaving between $10,000 and $20,000 unaccounted for, and suggesting Bryan Mansell remained short between $50,000 and $83,000 in expected proceeds.
As the fallout continued, unrelated BAM franchises across the United States reported reputational damage, including a Sacramento location that temporarily closed following alleged threats.
On June 18, the Gormans filed an emergency motion to dissolve or modify the gag order, arguing it unlawfully restricted speech by individuals not directly named as primary defendants in the central corporate action.
June and July 2026: Ongoing status and upcoming hearings
As of now, the case is headed toward a critical preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for June 30, 2026. The court will decide whether the gag order remains in place or is struck down on First Amendment grounds, or whether it continues into the broader civil RICO proceedings.
Following that, Schneider is scheduled to face criminal hearings relating to the March 2026 charges, followed by additional municipal proceedings tied to the December allegations of trespassing and disorderly conduct.
Featured image: Bricks & Minifigs
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