- Registrado
- 16 de Abr, 2023
BRICK BY BRICK...
(Image made by: BigGuyOS 6 : Jovial Janny)
Reckless Ben (Ben Paul Schneider, Youtuber) attempts to recover LEGO Sets (estimated worth $200k) owned by Bryan Mansell's father that were consigned to a LEGO store "Bricks and Minifigs" in Keizer, Oregon. The new owners (Joshua Johnson, Brandon Best) refuse to acknowledge them after the original owner (Chrystal Gorman) of franchise was terminated from their franchise contract. Even their own CEO, Ammon McNeff refuses to cooperate. Ben has recorded, been trespassed, swatted, arrested and now being sued to try and recover the LEGO sets from Bricks and Minifigs. While discovering corruption with an alleged Mormon Mafia in a town of American Fork, Utah. The Company continues to protect the new owners with their own alleged Police Muscle and potentially Judges in Utah County, Utah.
The Parties
| Reckless Ben (real name Benjamin Paul Schneider, born December 30, 1995) is an American YouTuber, independent filmmaker, entrepreneur, and slackliner known for his daring, comedic investigative documentaries. Background:
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| Bryan Mansell (sometimes spelled Brian in casual references) is the son of Ed (or Eric) Mansell, an elderly collector in Oregon. Background:
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| Chrystal (Chris) Law-Gorman and Benjamin Gorman are the former co-owners of the Bricks & Minifigs franchise store in Keizer/Salem, Oregon. They are central figures in the LEGO consignment drama involving Bryan Mansell’s Star Wars collection Background:
Additional Context: The situation is ongoing with multiple lawsuits (Gormans vs. BAM, BAM vs. others including Reckless Ben, etc.). The Keizer store has since closed, and the broader dispute remains highly contentious with active litigation and public back-and-forth. Both sides accuse the other of mishandling the LEGO collection and the franchise transition. |
| Joshua Johnson (often called Josh Johnson) is a Utah-based businessman and former Bricks & Minifigs franchisee. He was one of the co-owners (along with Brandon Best) of Baker Bricks LLC, which took over the Salem/Keizer, Oregon Bricks & Minifigs store in late 2024 after the previous owner (Chrystal Law-Gorman) exited. Background:
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| Brandon Best is a Utah-based businessman and Bricks & Minifigs franchisee. He co-owned Baker Bricks LLC with Joshua Johnson. They took over the Salem/Keizer, Oregon store (the one at the center of the LEGO consignment drama) in late 2024 after the previous owners (Chrystal and Benjamin Gorman) exited. Background:
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| Ammon McNeff is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-owner (with his brother Matt McNeff) of Bricks & Minifigs (BAM), a LEGO resale and franchise company headquartered in Orem, Utah. Background:
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| American Fork Police Department (AFPD) in Utah County, Utah, became heavily involved in the Bricks & Minifigs–Reckless Ben controversy due to incidents in American Fork, where several key figures connected to the company (including Joshua Johnson, Brandon Best, and CEO Ammon McNeff) live or have ties. How AFPD Got Involved:
Key Controversies and Bodycam Footage:
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(Below I will use JT Show's words from X, Twitter Post that best describes the details.)
The Collection
Ed Mansell started buying Lego Star Wars sets in the late 1990s. Not to build them. To invest. He heard that sealed, rare Lego sets could go up in value over time, kind of like baseball cards or comic books but better.
Over the next fifteen years, Ed and his son Bryan built what many people considered the world's largest Star Wars Lego collection. We're talking about roughly 780 sealed sets and more than 1,200 rare minifigures. Some individual sets were worth up to $10,000.
Some minifigures were worth over $1,300 each. The total collection was valued somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000.
Ed's plan was simple: sell the collection and use the money to pay for his grandchildren's college education.
By 2023, Ed was getting older and his health was declining. His son Bryan took over the project of selling the collection. In September 2023, Bryan walked into a Bricks & Minifigs store in Salem, Oregon. BAM, as the company is known, is a franchise that buys, sells, and trades Lego products. They're one of the biggest Lego resellers in the country, with over 300 locations across the U.S. and Canada.
Bryan talked to the store owner, a woman named Chrystal Law/Gorman (depending on the paperwork). She agreed to sell the collection on consignment, which means she'd sell the sets over time and split the proceeds with Bryan. For about a year, it worked. Bryan visited the store every month to pick up receipts and checks for his share of sales. He collected about $15,000 in total payments.
Then, in November 2024, everything fell apart.
Chrystal had fallen behind on her franchise fees. She owed BAM corporate close to $200,000 in unpaid royalties and bills. Under the franchise agreement, BAM had a security interest in the store's inventory. So BAM repossessed the store. And when they did, they took everything inside it, including the Mansell family's Lego collection.
Bryan went to the store three times to get his property back. The new owners, Brandon Best and Joshua Johnson, told him they didn't recognize his consignment agreement. They said BAM wasn't a party to any deal he'd made with Chrystal. They called the police on him.
The police said it was a civil matter. Go to court.
Bryan tried. But hiring a lawyer to sue a corporation costs tens of thousands of dollars, potentially more than the collection was even worth. BAM knew this. Internal recordings would later reveal BAM corporate telling Bryan their strategy: "We're going to drag this out so long and you're going to end up spending so much more money than your collection is ever worth."
BAM's own words, captured on tape, admitting they planned to make litigation so expensive that the Mansells would give up. Ed was dying. He wanted to see his grandchildren's college funds secured before he passed. The lawsuit could take four years. Ed didn't have four years.
So Bryan went looking for help. He sent an email to a YouTuber who investigates a variety of fraud. That YouTuber's name is Ben Schneider, and he's about to have his life destroyed.
The Journalist
Ben Schneider calls himself "Reckless Ben" online. He's a YouTube investigative journalist who specializes in exposing corporate fraud. His approach is different from traditional journalism. He crowd-funds his investigations through Patreon and sometimes GoFundMe.
He uses provocative tactics to generate attention and he's willing to put himself in uncomfortable positions to get the story.
That's effective. His previous investigations have exposed fraudulent business practices, and he's built a large following of people who believe the legal system doesn't work for ordinary people.
In early 2026, Ben put out a call to action: if you have a problem the police can't solve, email me. He got about 10,000 emails in two days. One of them was from Bryan Mansell. Bryan's email described a $200,000 Lego collection stolen by a corporation. A dying father who wanted to see his grandchildren's college funds secured. A legal system that was rigged against him.
Ben watched the video Bryan sent. He looked at the documentation. He did his research.
"This is crazy," Ben said after his first Zoom call with Bryan. "Let's do it."
His main actions in/related to Oregon included, filming multiple videos at the Keizer store: He and his team visited (sometimes multiple times) to demand the return of the collection, confront staff/owners, and document responses. They "nicely asked" for the property back before escalating.
Publicity stunts and pressure tactics (Nathan For You-style): Created a mock rival "business" called "We Steal From Old People" (with signs, merch like a piggy bank in underwear, and a website) to mock BAM and draw attention. Organized lottery-style raffles and other schemes. Used legal tricks, such as trying to get staff to sign statements or documents, and citing Oregon laws to deter police involvement during confrontations (one video shows police leaving after he referenced the law book).
Ben (and his team/friends) used a small claims court strategy in Oregon to pressure the Bricks & Minifigs Keizer/Salem store (and related LLCs/owners) over the consigned LEGO collection.
The Strategy Splitting claims to fit small claims limits: Oregon small claims court has a limit (commonly around $10,000 per case). To address a much larger dispute, Ben and 9 others (friends/team) each "purchased" or were assigned a small portion of the LEGO collection via contracts. This created multiple separate claims, each under the limit (e.g., around $10k + fees).
They filed multiple small claims lawsuits (reports mention 10 or so) against the store/LLC (e.g., L2 Bricks, LLC) and/or individuals like Joshua Johnson.
Outcomes Many (or all) resulted in default judgments because the defendants (store/owners) did not appear or respond in court. Ben and the group then tried to enforce/collect on these judgments (e.g., by going to the store to recover "their" LEGO portions or equivalent value). This led to more confrontations, signs, and videos.
The store ultimately closed permanently to avoid the scandal.
Ben drove to Utah with a plan. He was going to serve legal papers on Joshua Johnson, the franchise owner named in the Oregon lawsuit. He was going to film everything. And he was going to investigate BAM's business practices.
He wasn't there to harass anyone. He was there to do something the Constitution specifically protects: petition the courts. Every person in America has the right to file a lawsuit and have the other side served with papers. It's not optional. It's not a suggestion. It's a constitutional right.
What Ben didn't know was that BAM corporate and the American Fork Police Department had already decided to stop him.
Four Days in March
Day One: March 8, 2026
Ben's group showed up at Josh Johnson's house with rubber ducks. Yes, rubber ducks. The idea was to get Johnson to sign for a fake delivery, which could be used as evidence in the Oregon lawsuit, proof that Johnson had received something at his residence.
Josh called the police. Officer Tonga responded. He talked to the driver, Benjamin Adams, and issued trespass warnings. No one was arrested. Officer Tonga wrote in his report that the group "did not appear to have committed any violations of Utah's criminal code."
Now the police were paying attention. They wrote down the license plate of the black Chevy Malibu. They started building a file.
Day Two: March 9, 2026
Ben has met with some Mormons, told them what had happen, and had one of them go to Josh's door. The associate rang the doorbell, said he was from Johnson's ward, and said he wanted to "save Josh from going to outer darkness." It didnt work.
Officer Hawkins responded. Pulled over Ben and his friend. During the conversation, the officer tried to find a reason to extend the stop. "I smell alcohol," he said. The friend replied that he'd never drunk in his life. The officer asked for a preliminary breath test even though he had no legal reason to do so. They also accused Ben and his friend of having Heroin. A drug dog searched the vehicle and found nothing. Ben and Shaw admitted to the rubber duck delivery. Trespass warnings were given again.
Later that day, another officer pulled over Ben's group. The body cam recorded what the officer had planned: "I was gonna scare him a little bit and let him go was all I really was going to do."
Let that sink in. A police officer, on camera, admitting he made a traffic stop for the purpose of scaring someone. Not because of a crime. Not because of a traffic violation. To scare him. The officers had claimed Ben and his friends had improperly stopped at a stop sign. The dashcam shows a different story.
That's illegal. A traffic stop is considered a seizure under the Fourth Amendment. To justify seizing someone, an officer needs reasonable suspicion of a crime or a traffic violation. "Scaring someone" is not a legal basis for a traffic stop. The officer knew it. He said it on camera anyway.
Day Three: March 10, 2026
Josh called police again. His wife Kaylee called separately to report a female taking photos of their home. When officers arrived, they found a woman taking photos of the front of Josh's residence. A man, later identified as Benjamin Paul Schneider, was in the passenger seat of a nearby vehicle.
The probable cause statement from that day tells the story. Officer McKay Valadez wrote:
"I asked Benjamin if they had been knocking on the residence. Benjamin replied no and told me that they were trying to serve the victim legal papers."
Ben was doing exactly what he said he would do. He was attempting to serve legal papers on Josh Johnson, the defendant in his Oregon lawsuit. This is a constitutionally protected activity. Every state has laws governing service of process because the courts recognize that people have a right to be sued and a right to respond.
Yet the police didn't see it that way. The probable cause statement continues:
"The victim's doorbell camera shows the female coming up to his front door."
So the evidence against Ben was that a woman walked up to a door. That's not a crime. That's what process servers do.
The statement continues with Josh's account:
"The victim reported that the suspects were currently parked in front of and beside his house with two cars. He said that every day, the suspects arrive with two cars full of kids to stalk his house and harass his family."
Josh was escalating his complaints. Now Ben was "stalking" his house. Now there were "two cars full of kids." The reality was that Ben had been to the property multiple times over several days, attempting to have a good faith converstation required by courts to do before serving papers. Josh was framing it as harassment.
The statement then reveals a critical detail. Ben told the police:
"Benjamin said that the victim stole $250,000 worth of products from the third-party individual, and that the third-party's family contacted him to cover the story. Benjamin stated that he sued the victim and won, but the victim closed the store to avoid paying. As a result, Benjamin said he was now suing the victim personally."
Ben was explaining his legal purpose. He had a lawsuit. He was the plaintiff. He was attempting to serve the defendant.
The officer's response was telling:
"I spoke with the victim and the victim's boss who both reiterated that there were no court cases open involving the victim or the company the victim worked for."
This was a lie. Officer Sumbot had already called the Oregon court and confirmed the case existed, but the officer writing the probable cause statement either didn't know or didn't care...or ignored that fact on purpose.
The sign was the final piece. Officers found a sign in the park strip across the street from Josh's residence. It showed an image of the victim holding money, with the statement, "I stole a dying man's life savings." Ben admitted he put up the sign. He said it was intended to get the victim to come outside.
Then the critical admission from the police report:
"I spoke with an officer at the Sandy Police Department, who reported similar incidents involving Benjamin and individuals delivering packages to a victim in Sandy and that they were screening charges against Benjamin. The Provo Police Department is referring charges for commercial obstruction against Benjamin regarding an incident in February."
Ben had cases pending in multiple jurisdictions. The police were coordinating. There still is an active warrant for Ben in Sandy, remember this for later. The noose was tightening. The officer concluded:
"Because Benjamin was trespassed from the residence, returned, parked outside, had multiple people knock on the door, park outside, photograph the residence, deliver packages, and post signs with the victim's face outside the home, I believe there is probable cause to charge him with stalking."
Ben was arrested for Stalking (Class A misdemeanor) and Targeted Residential Picketing (Class B misdemeanor). He was booked into Utah County Jail.
Here's what the officer wrote at the end of the probable cause statement:
"I performed a Utah Criminal History and Triple III Criminal History check on Benjamin Paul Schneider and found no previous arrests or convictions. Benjamin Paul Schneider lives in California. I am requesting that he be held until his court date, as he poses a flight risk and has multiple open cases in two different counties involving harassment, stalking and commercial obstruction."
The officer found no criminal history. Ben had never been arrested before. The officer called him a flight risk because he lived in California. Ben was released. But the police weren't done. So far the police has been called over nine times on Ben.
Day Four: March 11, 2026
Ben's group placed a sign on a neighbor's fence. They had the neighbor's permission. The sign read: "I stole a dying man's life savings" and included an AI-generated image of Johnson with money and a dying person in a hospital bed. They filmed a GoFundMe video.
Josh called the police for the tenth time.
Officer Cole Richardson responded, but he didn't just respond to the call. He went back to the station and wrote a search warrant.
The Warrant
Officer Richardson's search warrant affidavit is a document that should be studied in law schools as a case study in how NOT to write a warrant.
He submitted it to the court electronically at 5:11 PM. A judge signed it at 5:37 PM. That's 26 minutes. A judge reviewed a warrant affidavit, determined probable cause existed, and signed off on a home raid in less time than it takes to watch an episode of your favorite show.
The affidavit begins with Officer Richardson describing his qualifications. He's a POST certified officer. He's been trained in domestic violence investigations, theft, vehicle burglary, and drug detection.
Then he describes the case and he gets the date wrong. First mistake. He writes that the first incident happened on March 3. It didn't. It happened on March 8. He's off by five days. In a sworn affidavit submitted to a judge.
He writes that Ben "was arrested days prior for stalking." Ben had been arrested on March 10, one business day before the warrant was written. The affidavit makes it sound like Ben had a long history of arrests at this address. He didn't. He had one arrest, one day earlier.
The affidavit describes the rubber duck delivery, the church member incident, and the sign. It mentions the GoFundMe. Then comes the key paragraph. The entire basis for the search warrant:
"Officers contacted the homeowner of the Air B&B to inquire about video footage. The homeowner was cooperative and provided video footage that displayed Benjamin walking into the basement apartment at exactly 15:58 hours on this day. The homeowner also disclosed that he could hear multiple individuals inside the residence speaking about possible stolen Lego toys that they had taken."
That's it. That's the evidence. The Airbnb owner heard people talking about "possible stolen Lego toys." One person. Overheard through a floor. Talking about Legos. There's even an online debate that this homeowner making this claim never happened as there's no voice recording of it in the court records. Based on this, Officer Richardson asked for a search warrant. Here's the sentence that should make every lawyer's hair stand up:
"Based on this information I am requesting a search warrant at the address of (REDACTED) in American Fork in order to affect the arrest of Benjamin Schneider."
Read that sentence again. "In order to affect the arrest of Benjamin Schneider." This is important.
Here's a simple explanation: A search warrant lets you search for evidence. It does NOT let you arrest someone. An arrest warrant lets you arrest someone. These are two different legal documents with different standards.
The Fourth Amendment says warrants must describe "the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." This warrant authorized searching for "stolen Lego merchandise." The alleged crime was stalking. Stolen Legos are not evidence of stalking. There's no connection between what they were looking for and what they claimed Ben did. None. Any attorney worth his salt world get this thrown out in an instant and file a countersuit.
This is called the "nexus requirement." The evidence you're looking for has to be connected to the crime. Stolen toys aren't connected to stalking. A judge should have caught this immediately.
The judge signed the warrant in 26 minutes.
The warrant was signed at 5:37 PM. The raid was executed at approximately 6:00 PM. Make note: The signed warrant by the judge stated to look for items only. This means he didn't allow the warrant to arrest Ben OR ANYONE.
The Raid
At approximately 6:00 PM on March 11, seven of American Fork's 22 patrol officers converged on Ben's Airbnb. One-third of the entire police department. For one raid. On one rental property. In a city of 41,000 people.
Ben walked out the door. He was immediately handcuffed. Four other occupants were also handcuffed: Tyler Shaw, Steven Allen, Sierra LZ, and a 16-year-old juvenile.
During the detention, an officer grabbed Ben's right arm and bent it back. Ben had a pre-existing shoulder injury from a skiing accident two days before going to Utah. The officer dislocated it.
Body cam footage shows Ben was making no quick movements. The officer's stated reason: "The main kid had his phone recording, so I shut it off."
The officer injured Ben as punishment for filming the raid. This is retaliation for exercising First Amendment rights. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the First Amendment protects the right to record police officers. The raid turned up no Lego merchandise. None. Zero.
The search warrant return, filed the next morning at 6:17 AM, states: "Benjamin Schneider was arrested. No items seized."
The entire premise of the warrant was false. There were no stolen Legos. There was no evidence of any crime. The police raided a home, arrested five people, injured a man with a pre-existing condition, and found nothing.
The Interrogation and the Cover Story
Ben was interrogated for three hours by Detective Nicoia. The detective told Ben he just wanted to "give him the benefit of doubt." Ben was in handcuffs. He wasn't free to leave. He was detained against his will. This is not a "benefit of doubt" situation.
Ben explained everything: the lawsuit, the papers, the GoFundMe, the investigation. He was cooperative. He answered every question.
Then the detective cherry-picked Ben's statements to build a case.
At 9:00 PM, three hours AFTER the arrest, Officer Spencer Tonga signed the affidavit of probable cause. This document was written to justify an arrest that had already happened. It omitted Ben's explanations, his legal purpose, and the verified lawsuit. It framed every statement as evidence of stalking.
This is not how probable cause works. Probable cause must exist BEFORE an arrest, not after. Writing a charging document three hours after the fact is a cover story, not a genuine probable cause determination.
The probable cause statute in Utah requires that a peace officer have "probable cause to believe that the person has committed or is committing a public offense." The officer must have this belief at the time of the arrest. You cannot create probable cause after the fact by writing a document.
The CEO on Speakerphone
During the March 11 incident, the former franchisee put BAM CEO Ammon McNeff on speakerphone with police. What McNeff said, captured on body cam, was devastating to his own company's legal position.
He admitted the Mansell family was owed money. He accused Ben of murder threats and extortion, but here's the thing: those accusations were never filed as separate criminal charges. That suggests they were fabricated to manipulate police.
He admitted the former franchisee had broken rules. He displayed direct involvement with the new franchisee during the call, evidence of the kind of control that can make a corporation legally responsible for what its franchisees do.
McNeff should have had a lawyer make this call. Instead, he talked himself into potential criminal and civil liability.
But this isn't the first time McNeff has used the legal system as a weapon. Court records show a pattern of what's called "lawfare," using aggressive lawsuits to intimidate and silence people, against multiple people, including members of his own family. In one case, McNeff filed a lawsuit against a family member alleging breach of fiduciary duty and fraud, seeking over $500,000 in damages. The case was eventually settled out of court.
A Forbes article about a related company describes the playbook: use legal threats to intimidate, use the cost of litigation to silence, use the court system as a weapon. McNeff has been running this playbook for years.
The Villains
The American Fork Police Department has 22 officers serving a city of 41,000 people. In a department that small, everyone knows everyone. When one officer verifies a lawsuit is legitimate, the whole department knows. When one officer decides to "scare" someone during a traffic stop, the whole department knows. When seven officers raid an Airbnb based on a flawed warrant, the whole department knows.
Chief Cameron Paul released a public video defending the department. It claims officers "determined no violations" on March 8, omitting the fake delivery scheme. It says papers "had already been served," contradicting earlier statements about why Ben was there. It uses weasel words like "approaching stalking," language that reveals the officers themselves weren't sure a crime had been committed. It says the warrant was for "possible stolen property," hiding the fact that it was for LEGOS, which have no connection to stalking. He also states there is no active warrant for Ben. Remember what I wrote earlier? According to the Utah warrant search, the warrant is active in Sandy. This is easily verified by this incomptent police chief.
The video doesn't mention the CEO phone call. It doesn't mention the "shopping for charges" body cam footage. It doesn't mention the "scare him" traffic stop. It doesn't mention that the sign was on a neighbor's fence. It doesn't mention that the warrant didn't authorize arrests. It doesn't mention that no Legos were found. It doesn't mention that the charging document was written after the fact.
It doesn't mention that the police turned off their body cams and it doesn't mention the quote that changes everything.
Brandon Best and Joshua Johnson were the franchise owners who took over the Salem store when BAM corporate repossessed it from Chrystal Law/Gorman. They told Bryan Mansell his consignment agreement wasn't valid. They called police on Ben ten times in four days.
Best and Johnson actively participated in the campaign against Ben. They called police repeatedly. They signed the verification on BAM's 300+ page civil lawsuit. They are named plaintiffs in the case against Ben and when the Salem store closed permanently, a direct result of the negative publicity from their own lawsuit, BAM corporate threw them under the bus. The June 4 blog post announced the closure as a "mutual agreement to part ways." In reality, Best and Johnson were forced out because their association with the LegoGate scandal made them toxic to the BAM brand.
They were used by BAM corporate, and when they were no longer useful, they were discarded.
Why the Warrant Is Void and Legal stuff
Under a 1978 Supreme Court case called *Franks v. Delaware*, if a police officer leaves out an important fact from a warrant affidavit, and that fact would have changed whether there was probable cause, the warrant is void. The verified Oregon lawsuit is the most important fact there is. Without it: "Ben has no legitimate purpose for being there." With it: "Ben is a plaintiff serving legal papers, a constitutional right."
The entire warrant collapses.
Under a 1980 Supreme Court case called *Payton v. New York*, police cannot enter a home to make a routine arrest without an arrest warrant. A search warrant for property is not a substitute for an arrest warrant. The search warrant here explicitly says it's "to affect the arrest." This is a Fourth Amendment violation.
Under the "collective knowledge" doctrine, what one officer knows, the entire department is charged with knowing. Officer Sumbot verified the lawsuit on March 10. The entire department knew. Officer Richardson, who wrote the warrant, either knew or was reckless in not knowing. Either way, the warrant is void.
The warrant also fails the "nexus requirement." The evidence sought (stolen Legos) has no connection to the alleged crime (stalking). A judge should have caught this immediately.
The probable cause statement was also written after the arrest. Ben was arrested at about 6:00 PM. The probable cause statement was signed at 9:00 PM. Probable cause must exist before an arrest, not after. Writing a report three hours later doesn't create probable cause. It creates a cover story. The March 10 arrest has the same problem. Officer Valadez wrote his probable cause statement at 5:21 PM, but the arrest happened earlier that day. The report was written after the fact to justify what had already been done. Courts don't allow this. But the American Fork Police Department did it twice in two days.
There's also the issue of the Airbnb owner's statement. Officer Richardson wrote that the owner "could hear multiple individuals inside the residence speaking about possible stolen Lego toys that they had taken." This is hearsay. The officer didn't hear it himself. He's repeating what someone else told him. Hearsay is generally not admissible in court, and using it as the sole basis for a search warrant is questionable at best.
Even taking the statement at face value, "possible stolen Lego toys" is speculation. The owner said "possible." He didn't say he saw Legos. He didn't say he knew they were stolen. He said people were talking about "possible" stolen toys. That's not probable cause. That's a guess. Finally, there's no recorded audio or signed witness statement from the home owner present in court documents.
Also, the affidavit gets basic facts wrong. It says the first incident was on March 3. It was March 8. It says Ben "was arrested days prior." He was arrested one day prior. These errors suggest either extreme carelessness or deliberate misrepresentation. Neither is acceptable in a sworn affidavit.
The affidavit also includes Officer Richardson's qualifications, which are irrelevant to probable cause. He writes that he's "POST certified" and has been trained in "domestic violence, Theft, Vehicle Burglary, Possession of controlled substances." He also claims "numerous experiences in assisting in the apprehension of violent suspects." This is padding. It's meant to make the officer sound more credible. The Supreme Court has said that probable cause must be based on facts, not on an officer's resume.
Finally, the warrant was served at sunset. The warrant commands officers to search "in the daytime." But the raid happened at about 6:00 PM on March 11. In Utah in March, sunset is around 6:30 PM. So the raid was conducted during twilight, which may not qualify as "daytime" under Utah law. Warrants that specify daytime service cannot be executed at night unless there are exigent circumstances. There were no exigent circumstances here. The police had been watching Ben for days. They could have waited until morning.
Every single one of these issues, on its own, might be enough to get evidence thrown out of court. Taken together, they show a warrant that was obtained through misrepresentation, executed improperly, and used to justify an arrest that should never have happened.
The Cover-Up of Incompetence
After the raid, the police department engaged in a systematic cover-up that would continue for months:
The probable cause statement was also written after the arrest. Ben was arrested at about 6:00 PM. The probable cause statement was signed at 9:00 PM. Probable cause must exist before an arrest, not after. Writing a report three hours later doesn't create probable cause. It creates a cover story. The March 10 arrest has the same problem. Officer Valadez wrote his probable cause statement at 5:21 PM, but the arrest happened earlier that day. The report was written after the fact to justify what had already been done. Courts don't allow this. But the American Fork Police Department did it twice in two days.
The probable cause statement for the March 11 arrest was written at 9:00 PM, three hours after Ben was already in custody. This is a cover story, not a genuine probable cause determination, but it became the official record of why Ben was arrested.
Chief Cameron Paul released a public video defending the department. The video contained at least 10 identifiable lies or omissions. The police chief decided his officers were innocent before looking at the evidence.
After verifying the lawsuit was real, officers turned off their recording devices. This is a direct violation of department policy and possibly state law. Body cameras are meant to record police interactions with the public. Turning them off to hide evidence is obstruction of justice or conspiracy to destroy evidence.
Officer Valadez's probable cause statement mentions that Sandy Police were screening charges against Ben and that Provo Police were referring charges. This shows that multiple police departments were coordinating to build a case against Ben. When the LAPD called Utah police to coordinate the manhunt, it became a multi-state effort to find one journalist.
BAM's 300+ page lawsuit. Filed on May 27, 2026, the same day as the TRO, the lawsuit is a coordinated effort between BAM corporate and the police department. The timing suggests that BAM knew the police were going to release the public records folder (which they did two days later) and wanted to get their version of the story out first.
The cover-up worked for a while. For almost three months, the public only saw the redacted footage and the police chief's video. The "consensus" quote was hidden. The unredacted footage was hidden. The truth was hidden.
Then someone hacked the department and released everything. The truth came out.
The American Fork Police Department has not apologized. No officer has been disciplined. The police chief's video is still online, still containing its lies and omissions. LegoGate is an extreme example of public corruption, but it's not an isolated one. And until the laws change, it will keep happening.
I enjoy a good lolsuit, this caught my eye on youtube posted this week.
A Bryan Mansell (Golf Cap), consigned contractually all of his family's LEGOs to help pay for family health matters to original franchise owner Chrystal Gorman.
The franchise owner was looking to sell the store, so the franchise corporate office found a new franchise buyer immediately, kicked her out to assume control of all stock.
The new franchise owner, Joshua Johnson and Brandon Best (White Cap). Well they completely give the guy the run around on his family's consignment to the point even the Police will not help and declare it a civil matter.
However I did some digging and found same stuff Ben did in Patreon Video.
[Link] [Archive]
Enter Ben Paul Schneider (Shaggy Hair, age 31), him and his group of friends are shit stirrers that even a kiwi would laugh in regards to their tactics (that some of us use here). He's infiltrated cults and etc. Surprised in search engine of site, he's never came up before here (maybe has).
Dude, goes to bat for the lost $200k, gets the head CEO Aaron MCNeff (yes that is a dastardly moustache below LOL) so ass mad, that it's turned into a damn legal dispute. Ben first uses contract to state claims of ownership, then gets trespassed for life by owner and cops.
So what does he do? He starts a troll campaign!
www.westealfromoldpeople.com
Made a registered name "We steal from old people" with Tag line Bricks and Minifigs for legal loophole.
Has his friends sell merch right outside their door! His initial plan was for them to sue his legitimate business with franchise registered in Oregon so he could litigate the theft in court on Bricks and Minifigs dime.
So then they do a legal raffle to make the item theft, cops refuse to enforce the law, then he and his friends after Josh the owner keeps telling them to sue him. Well LMAO, they do. Buy the items legally still being Bryan's, they purchase a significant amount of $100k, $10k per personal ownership (to not claim split) and take the business to small claims court. The owner refuses to show up to all 10, judge orders default judgement.
Linkedin Profile
So you think they win? Nah, the business knowing that $100k in debt, FOLD the business and someone collects the merchandise from store.
Now he does have a follow up, I will post that follow up of that video here once video goes live publicly. As to not have Ben sending OUR Josh a email on Patreon exclusive video uploaded here. So I'll do a Play-by-Play in Spoiler for kiwis.
(Since a kiwi has posted part 2 here now, posting above Play-by-Play)
So Ben tries to sue Josh, but is rejected by court for not "Resolving the dispute before filing" as if the 10+ small claims aren't proof enough.
Ben finds Josh in Utah (Away from Oregon business) and is trying the court's way.
30 minutes prior, he tries again with Corporate CEO, police show up. Now trying court's way, police now show up at Josh's place.
3 cop cars and they pursue Ben and his friends. RESOLVE THE DISPUTE, lol.
Axon video shows stop at stop sign.
Officer Richardson of American Fork Police said they didn't stop at stop sign. Axon disproves claim.
Ben explains to officers why they are here.
They don't believe him.
And then trespass them from property.
Later on, same Police show up to their house and stalk them.
Ben then tries second owner of suit, he answers and just ignores him whole time staring.
Just so Brandon could call police again.
Cop claims "He didn't steal anything, he just inherited a store." Yet court finds by default he owes money civil, not once, not twice, but 10 times. She trespasses him too.
Ben finds Josh and Brandon's social media, finds they are both Mormons. Ben thinks Mormons should be of faith and think stealing is wrong. Enter Mormon Ethan Van Sciver of Comicsgate, hasn't delivered shit on his comics. LOL
Ben then does the most funniest thing ever... he asks their CHURCH to talk to Josh to save him from hell!
They get pulled over later by Officer Hawkins. I suspect the whole damn town is in on this!
The Mormon tries to approach his fellow church member. Cop is shown clip him swearing to God to give back, Cop asks him to leave.
They get pulled over agane! Someone reported they had heroin on them.
SAME Officer again.... 2 hours of searching. No drugs!
Ben states he explained after search why Bricks and Minifigs are desperately trying to get them arrested. Police redact response, Ben claims they made ridiculous responses to defend their actions.
Officers still wanted a arrest, wouldn't let them go and tried a forced confession. REID technique at its finest.
[The Reid Technique is a widely used, controversial police interrogation method consisting of three phases: factual analysis, a non-accusatory Behavior Analysis Interview, and the famous Nine Steps of Interrogation. It relies on a presumption of guilt to break resistance through isolation, confrontation, minimization, and sometimes deception.]
They're let go at end of night feuding for hours.
After both attempts were made for good faith and evidence submitted. The court cases were approved.
But Ben has to get them served now.
Ben makes a sign to ragebait Josh.
Cops show up AGANE! Realize called for false reason when he shows serving papers.
"At first you don't succeed call 911 again please." He called another response. Realize called for false reason when he shows serving papers for second time. Man you think courts would give you a sticker or something for car so Police know..
CALLED AGANE! They offer to do it for Ben. SHOCKER
Cops refuse to do their job now having court ordered papers and even question validity... Officer states doesn't have Judge's name on it, not realizing the person has to be served for filing to continue for a Judge.
Cops try to say they have 2 to 3 incidents of trespass and Ben has to explain why he has to talk to Josh legally.
Cops then say go legal way with process server, not realizing Girl next to Ben is. They leave.
CALLED AGANE! Holy fuck Utah, you guys don't have falsified police report? This is 4th time now.
Officer calls Clerk of Court. OMG MY SIDES, they are literally acting as if they are Attorneys! They find out it's real and they know they can be used for any court setting in future now. LOL
So they arrest him! LMAO WOW man, wow... All this for $200k of LEGOs, not guns or ammo, not gold or silver. LEGO
Server calls his friends informing the impartial client got arrested with no charge acknowledged. They even gave him permission beforehand.
I suspected this too. Earlier before arrest a call from Bryan claims that Bricks and Minifigs has donated hefty sums to the Mormon church which he thinks cops are part of same community. Sounds like a Police state with Mormons not separating Church from State and LOTS of GUNS.
Man, I thought FBI Waco raid was supposed to stop that? Hmmmmm....
Ben confirms suspicions when he finds that the Officers are Mormon and so is CEO of Bricks and Minifigs. Man Mountain Jews stealing with Police protection? WOW
Out of Jail.
Ben then decides since he can't serve, he'll just do a GoFundMe.
They try to advertise for GoFundMe with same sign, cops agane think they are lawyers.
Ben was able to resync audio that they took sign down for personal reasons. The station states still that anything that's redacted is Utah State Code and nothing happened. LMAO They even seize his friends phone. Snatch it and act like he has a attitude towards officer and... arrest him.
His friend is trying to explain to officer, locking a phone doesn't delete anything. Impossible to do so with iPhone. (Even more impossible unless the CPU is fried as we kiwis know)
As Ben's friend is in jail. Police SWAT the house, over LEGOs... Cop detained Ben so bad, it dislocated his shoulder. Josh told Police that Ben stole LEGOs as he said he would in previous video.
No LEGOs found on Property, Police redacted the audio of their confusion.
Last time Ben posted Bail. Now cops ask to be held by court date and possible flight risk. FOR LEGOs LMAO
Detective interviews each person trying to get them to admit GoFundMe was Ben's idea when it was his friends who had Phone confiscated. Ben admits though it's his and the book him for what?
This:
Ben was booked without even knowing Charge, Bail denied and waiting a month in jail. Or so he thought.
Judge reviewed his case and reversed it for bail for stupid charges. Illegal acts cops submitted were: Saying Josh stole the LEGOs and GoFundMe.
But not even a week, they get another arrest warrant for him with no bail.
So now Ben has done the Ralphamale, gone to Mexico! For now, he may be state side again since this video.
Damage control done by Bricks and Minifig's seeing his video yesterday.
Edit: Thread OP will be reorganized soon.
A Bryan Mansell (Golf Cap), consigned contractually all of his family's LEGOs to help pay for family health matters to original franchise owner Chrystal Gorman.
The franchise owner was looking to sell the store, so the franchise corporate office found a new franchise buyer immediately, kicked her out to assume control of all stock.
The new franchise owner, Joshua Johnson and Brandon Best (White Cap). Well they completely give the guy the run around on his family's consignment to the point even the Police will not help and declare it a civil matter.
However I did some digging and found same stuff Ben did in Patreon Video.
[Link] [Archive]
Enter Ben Paul Schneider (Shaggy Hair, age 31), him and his group of friends are shit stirrers that even a kiwi would laugh in regards to their tactics (that some of us use here). He's infiltrated cults and etc. Surprised in search engine of site, he's never came up before here (maybe has).
Dude, goes to bat for the lost $200k, gets the head CEO Aaron MCNeff (yes that is a dastardly moustache below LOL) so ass mad, that it's turned into a damn legal dispute. Ben first uses contract to state claims of ownership, then gets trespassed for life by owner and cops.
So what does he do? He starts a troll campaign!
www.westealfromoldpeople.com
Made a registered name "We steal from old people" with Tag line Bricks and Minifigs for legal loophole.
Has his friends sell merch right outside their door! His initial plan was for them to sue his legitimate business with franchise registered in Oregon so he could litigate the theft in court on Bricks and Minifigs dime.
So then they do a legal raffle to make the item theft, cops refuse to enforce the law, then he and his friends after Josh the owner keeps telling them to sue him. Well LMAO, they do. Buy the items legally still being Bryan's, they purchase a significant amount of $100k, $10k per personal ownership (to not claim split) and take the business to small claims court. The owner refuses to show up to all 10, judge orders default judgement.
Linkedin Profile
So you think they win? Nah, the business knowing that $100k in debt, FOLD the business and someone collects the merchandise from store.
Now he does have a follow up, I will post that follow up of that video here once video goes live publicly. As to not have Ben sending OUR Josh a email on Patreon exclusive video uploaded here. So I'll do a Play-by-Play in Spoiler for kiwis.
(Since a kiwi has posted part 2 here now, posting above Play-by-Play)
So Ben tries to sue Josh, but is rejected by court for not "Resolving the dispute before filing" as if the 10+ small claims aren't proof enough.
Ben finds Josh in Utah (Away from Oregon business) and is trying the court's way.
30 minutes prior, he tries again with Corporate CEO, police show up. Now trying court's way, police now show up at Josh's place.
3 cop cars and they pursue Ben and his friends. RESOLVE THE DISPUTE, lol.
Axon video shows stop at stop sign.
Officer Richardson of American Fork Police said they didn't stop at stop sign. Axon disproves claim.
Ben explains to officers why they are here.
They don't believe him.
And then trespass them from property.
Later on, same Police show up to their house and stalk them.
Ben then tries second owner of suit, he answers and just ignores him whole time staring.
Just so Brandon could call police again.
Cop claims "He didn't steal anything, he just inherited a store." Yet court finds by default he owes money civil, not once, not twice, but 10 times. She trespasses him too.
Ben finds Josh and Brandon's social media, finds they are both Mormons. Ben thinks Mormons should be of faith and think stealing is wrong. Enter Mormon Ethan Van Sciver of Comicsgate, hasn't delivered shit on his comics. LOL
Ben then does the most funniest thing ever... he asks their CHURCH to talk to Josh to save him from hell!
They get pulled over later by Officer Hawkins. I suspect the whole damn town is in on this!
The Mormon tries to approach his fellow church member. Cop is shown clip him swearing to God to give back, Cop asks him to leave.
They get pulled over agane! Someone reported they had heroin on them.
SAME Officer again.... 2 hours of searching. No drugs!
Ben states he explained after search why Bricks and Minifigs are desperately trying to get them arrested. Police redact response, Ben claims they made ridiculous responses to defend their actions.
Officers still wanted a arrest, wouldn't let them go and tried a forced confession. REID technique at its finest.
[The Reid Technique is a widely used, controversial police interrogation method consisting of three phases: factual analysis, a non-accusatory Behavior Analysis Interview, and the famous Nine Steps of Interrogation. It relies on a presumption of guilt to break resistance through isolation, confrontation, minimization, and sometimes deception.]
They're let go at end of night feuding for hours.
After both attempts were made for good faith and evidence submitted. The court cases were approved.
But Ben has to get them served now.
Ben makes a sign to ragebait Josh.
Cops show up AGANE! Realize called for false reason when he shows serving papers.
"At first you don't succeed call 911 again please." He called another response. Realize called for false reason when he shows serving papers for second time. Man you think courts would give you a sticker or something for car so Police know..
CALLED AGANE! They offer to do it for Ben. SHOCKER
Cops refuse to do their job now having court ordered papers and even question validity... Officer states doesn't have Judge's name on it, not realizing the person has to be served for filing to continue for a Judge.
Cops try to say they have 2 to 3 incidents of trespass and Ben has to explain why he has to talk to Josh legally.
Cops then say go legal way with process server, not realizing Girl next to Ben is. They leave.
CALLED AGANE! Holy fuck Utah, you guys don't have falsified police report? This is 4th time now.
Officer calls Clerk of Court. OMG MY SIDES, they are literally acting as if they are Attorneys! They find out it's real and they know they can be used for any court setting in future now. LOL
So they arrest him! LMAO WOW man, wow... All this for $200k of LEGOs, not guns or ammo, not gold or silver. LEGO
Server calls his friends informing the impartial client got arrested with no charge acknowledged. They even gave him permission beforehand.
I suspected this too. Earlier before arrest a call from Bryan claims that Bricks and Minifigs has donated hefty sums to the Mormon church which he thinks cops are part of same community. Sounds like a Police state with Mormons not separating Church from State and LOTS of GUNS.
Man, I thought FBI Waco raid was supposed to stop that? Hmmmmm....
Ben confirms suspicions when he finds that the Officers are Mormon and so is CEO of Bricks and Minifigs. Man Mountain Jews stealing with Police protection? WOW
Out of Jail.
Ben then decides since he can't serve, he'll just do a GoFundMe.
They try to advertise for GoFundMe with same sign, cops agane think they are lawyers.
Ben was able to resync audio that they took sign down for personal reasons. The station states still that anything that's redacted is Utah State Code and nothing happened. LMAO They even seize his friends phone. Snatch it and act like he has a attitude towards officer and... arrest him.
His friend is trying to explain to officer, locking a phone doesn't delete anything. Impossible to do so with iPhone. (Even more impossible unless the CPU is fried as we kiwis know)
As Ben's friend is in jail. Police SWAT the house, over LEGOs... Cop detained Ben so bad, it dislocated his shoulder. Josh told Police that Ben stole LEGOs as he said he would in previous video.
No LEGOs found on Property, Police redacted the audio of their confusion.
Last time Ben posted Bail. Now cops ask to be held by court date and possible flight risk. FOR LEGOs LMAO
Detective interviews each person trying to get them to admit GoFundMe was Ben's idea when it was his friends who had Phone confiscated. Ben admits though it's his and the book him for what?
This:
Ben was booked without even knowing Charge, Bail denied and waiting a month in jail. Or so he thought.
Judge reviewed his case and reversed it for bail for stupid charges. Illegal acts cops submitted were: Saying Josh stole the LEGOs and GoFundMe.
But not even a week, they get another arrest warrant for him with no bail.
So now Ben has done the Ralphamale, gone to Mexico! For now, he may be state side again since this video.
Damage control done by Bricks and Minifig's seeing his video yesterday.
Edit: Thread OP will be reorganized soon.
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