Former store owners behind $200,000 Reckless Ben Lego scandal speak out as YouTuber is arrested
Everyone seems to have a different story to tell when it comes to the Bricks & Minifigs scandal that's taken the internet by storm. In the aftermath of 'Mormon Mafia' trending online, it seems things are only getting wilder.
A growing list of names is at the center of a fight over a reported $200,000 of LEGO Star Wars sets, with Bryan Mansell consigning a collection of nearly 800 rare sets to an Oregon franchise of Bricks & Minifigs.
A brief history of the Bricks & Minifigs scandal
When ownership changed hands, Bricks & Minifigs CEO Ammon McNeff claimed Mansell’s deal had been terminated, and after the sets mysteriously vanished, said that consignments were banned from the company.
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If you've made it this far, you'll likely know that YouTube creator Ben "Reckless Ben" Schneider entered the picture in a big way and was accused of harassment tactics in an attempt to get Mansell's sets back. This resulted in two arrests, allegations of the 'Mormon Mafia', and a deluge of American Fold Police Department bodycam footage going viral online.
On May 30, the Salt Lake Tribune claimed Bricks & Minifigs filed a lawsuit against Reckless Ben, although this isn't the only lawsuit rumbling on.
An official response from BAM suggested Mansell's dispute should be taken up with the former owner, naming Chrystal Law-Gorman and suggesting she further broke the rules by moving sets off the premises.
Who is Chrystal Law-Gorman?
Law-Gorman suggests that the store was 'illegally' seized by corporate without prior warning, but this is just part of a much bigger iceberg.
Chrystal Law-Gorman refuted Bricks & Minifigs' claims, and in a statement to the Salt Lake Tribune, added: "We are disappointed that Bricks & Minifigs corporate continues to take steps that we believe are intended to delay the process and discourage us from speaking publicly.
"Our focus remains on moving our lawsuit forward through the proper legal process, and we intend to continue pursuing our claims."
Chrystal and her husband have taken to YouTube, with a video titled "They Took Our LEGO Store & Life Savings. Help Us Fight Back". Here, Chrystal Law-Gorman and Benjamin Gorman maintain that Mansell's collection was seized when BAM took back the store.
Tagging Reckless Ben and known YouTube sleuths including LegalEagle and Coffeezilla, Law-Gordman suggested that Bricks & Minifigs violated its own franchise agreement. Benjamin Gorman said the pair were moving abroad due to his work, and although BAM was said to originally be open to the idea of selling, a man named Brandon Best supposedly showed up and demanded the keys.
Best was named alongside Joshua Johnson as one of the new franchise owners, with Johnson being a key name in the Reckless Ben videos.
BAM is adamant that Law-Gorman has racked up considerable debt and was trying to close the store due to this.
The Bricks & Minifigs lawsuits
Law-Gorman's video includes audio, reportedly from Bricks & Minifigs ops director Ki McAllister, saying: "If we go the legal route, it's going to be a very expensive battle for you, and it's not going to be a good position for you guys to get into."
The pair goes on to show contractual agreements that seem to contradict BAM's anti-consignment rules. They also directed viewers to a GoFundMe, which they claim is the best way to help Mansell get his collection back.
On the GoFundMe page, Chrystal writes: "Additional legal filings connected to Bricks and Minifigs corporate have made it clear that they intend to continue fighting aggressively and using delay tactics rather than allowing this matter to simply be heard openly in court. That reality has only reinforced how important this support truly is."
At the time of writing, it has raised over $70,000, with further support on their YouTube videos. As legal proceedings involving various parties rumble on, we're in danger of getting more allegations than there are bricks in the LEGO Death Star set.
UNILADTech has reached out to Chrystal Law-Gorman and Bricks & Minifigs.