Featured Image Credit: YouTube / Reckless Ben
If you understand what we mean when we say, "We got 'LEGO Mormon Mafia' before we got GTA 6," then buckle up because Reckless Ben is back. Real name Ben Schneider, Reckless Ben was inadvertently drawn into a saga involving a reported $200,000 of 'stolen' LEGO sets.
At the core of this is a franchise of Bricks & Minifigs in Keizer, Oregon, with a collection of over 780 rare Star Wars LEGO sets belonging to Bryan Mansell. It's said that Mansell consigned the sets to the BAM outlet to pay for his elderly father's medical expenses, but when the franchise changed hands, things got decidedly messy. This led to a temporary restraining order and civil preliminary injunction that was filed by Bricks & Minifigs in Utah court and could land Schneider in jail.
Whole swathes of the internet have turned against Bricks & Minifigs and the American Fork Police Department, with leaked bodycam footage showing Schneider's arrests. Former franchise owner Chrystal Law-Gordon has already spoken out, while Bricks & Minifigs has maintained its innocence, and Schneider is accused of orchestrating a campaign of harassment, cyber-harassment, stalking, and defamation.
After civil rights lawyers have even offered their opinions, claiming that Schneider's arrest could've been illegal, Reckless Ben looks like he's about to go quiet.
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For those who've been keeping up, Schneider promised to release a third part to the story, following on from his original gonzo-style investigation and his second video about Bricks & Minifigs' response.
BAM claims that a consignment should've never been approved, and although it's said it's willing to sit down with Mansell to try and reach an agreement, it's adamant that only $2,000 to $5,000 worth of sets were recovered when the new owners took possession.
Bricks & Minifigs has announced the store will be permanently closed as it parts ways with franchise owners Brandon Best and Joshua Johnson, but as critics have pointed out, Best is said to still own one in Eugene, Oregon.
Elsewhere, a Bricks & Minifigs franchise in Sacramento, California, announced its temporary closure due to apparent harassment and death threats.
Even before this, BAM filed a May 30 lawsuit that accused Schneider, Mansell, and others of coordinating a harassment and extortion campaign against franchise owners in Utah and Oregon. The filing mentions the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act, which allows prosecutors to charge multiple individuals who are potentially connected to racketeering.
Viewers were eagerly anticipating Schneider's next move, but in a June 9 video, he suggested this could be the end of the story...for now.
Despite saying he's finished part three after many sleepless nights, Schneider explained it can't be posted on YouTube because he would 'immediately' go to jail and lose his own lawsuit against Bricks & Minifigs, as well as the GoFundMe money raised for the Mansell family.
He doesn't directly name Bricks & Minifigs in the video, but instead refers to "this mystery company that I am no longer allowed to talk about." Saying he's been officially served, Schneider can't mention BAM, although he would typically try to 'screw the big guy'.
Reckless Ben maintains that the filing is unfair and incorrectly claims he was making bomb threats as well as threatening to kill franchise owners, adding: "The only problem is I was not given a chance to share my side. The court just heard their perspective, not mine."
He signs off by saying: "And looks like this might be it, so..."
As well as linking out to his GoFundMe as it continues to climb, there was a lot of support in the comments. There are obviously a lot of potentially libelous replies that we won't post here, but as things rumble on, it will be interesting to see who makes the next move and what happens in court.
