Bricks & Minifigs releases never-before-seen CCTV footage in defense of 'stolen' LEGO
Bricks & Minifigs (BAM) COO Matt McNeff has revealed never-before-seen CCTV footage in a blockbuster new interview with YouTuber Coffeezilla, attempting to defend against accusations of 'stolen' Star Wars LEGO sets from the store.
The footage itself attempts to clarify the inventory status of the Salem, Oregon BAM store on November 14, 2024 — the day that franchise ownership was transferred from Chrystal Law-Gorman and Benjamin Gorman to Brandon Best and Joshua Johnson.
Cross referencing these images with accounts from the Gormans and photos shared of inventory before they relinquished control, Bricks & Minifigs believe that the Star Wars LEGO sets provided by Bryan Mansell – estimated to be worth over $200,000 – were not stolen by the new owners.
Complications have been thrown into the mix after questions surrounding a U-Haul vehicle rented by Best have been directed towards the new franchisers and BAM leadership, however, and the story that began with Ben "Reckless Ben" Schneider has now seemingly reached its conclusion with a lengthy YouTube investigation from Stephen "Coffeezilla" Findeisen.
What does the new CCTV footage reveal?
While some might be skeptical about this newly-revealed footage, Matt McNeff clarifies that BAM had previously been advised to hold off on sharing it from a legal perspective by the company's attorneys.
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"This is the first time we've shown this publicly," he indicated. "We've been waiting for our attorneys to give us the approval to say, 'Hey, this is okay now to share in this capacity'."
He first revealed images captured by Best when he first entered the store on the night of the handover, which reveals what looks like a far lower stock count compared to a 'standard' Bricks & Minifigs location.
The Gormans claim that this was due to the fact that the Star Wars LEGO sets at the heart of this investigation were moved into a safe location in the back every night, as the large windows would have made the store a prime target for thefts otherwise.
McNeff indicates that there was seemingly no knowledge of stock stored in a safe, although a large number of the serial numbers did match data records with a few missing along the way.
What happened with the U-Haul van?
One major inconsistency that emerged from the CCTV footage, however, was the presence of a U-Haul van which some have alleged was used by Best to transport the LEGO sets away from the store.
McNeff claims that Best showed up to the handover in a rental car, although the Gormans claim that he was there in a U-Haul van — a fact that was seemingly corroborated by the CCTV footage after it was brightened.
Additionally, an alleged former employee of the store operated by Bell and Johnson in Utah claimed that Star Wars stock was transported using a U-Haul van on the night of the handover, but this remains unverified and purely conjecture.
BAM CEO Ammon McNeff claimed that Best needed the U-Haul van in addition to his rental truck as he had a camper that the latter couldn't tow, but Coffeezilla found inconsistencies in the timelines provided.
Ultimately, while the situation involving the U-Haul truck has garnered speculation, there isn't enough evidence on either side to produce a concrete conclusion.
What did Coffeezilla's investigation find out?
While there has been a whirlwind of information revealed over the last week regarding the alleged 'theft' LEGO sets, Coffeezilla's investigation suggests that the sets weren't stolen, with evidence instead pointing towards wider mismanagement issues.
Not only were the sets worth around half of the originally stated $200,000 figure, but the stock actually accounted for has been verified to be at least $21,000 in total — far more than the initial speculation.
Any sets that have since disappeared are likely a result of poor recordkeeping, conflicting inventories, and sales that were never properly reconciled. In addition, it's expected that Mansell is owed anywhere between $50,000 and $83,000 from inventory that was indeed sold or accounted for, but not processed for compensation.