A California YouTuber at the center of a bizarre battle over a missing $200,000 Star Wars LEGO collection says he has now fled to Mexico after a mounting legal fight spiraled into criminal charges, turning a local business dispute into a viral internet spectacle.

The drama began after Benjamin Paul Schneider, known as YouTuber “Reckless Ben”, accused Bricks & Minifigs (BAM) — one of the nation’s largest LEGO resale chains — of improperly taking possession of the massive collection, sparking a firestorm of online outrage and scrutiny aimed at the company.

The controversy has thoroughly outgrown the original dispute, with BAM stores across the country reporting threats and harassment. One of those locations, BAM Pocket Sacramento, announced it would temporarily close for a week starting Saturday after employees and family members were targeted.

“This is not about the controversy itself. People are entitled to their opinions, but our Sacramento store was not involved in that situation. We are a local family business, and the harassment being directed at our employees and family is taking a real toll,” the area’s general manager told CBS Sacramento.

“We want the harassment to stop,” he also said in a separate interview.

The saga dates back to 2023, when Bryan Mansell and his father allegedly entered into a consignment agreement with a BAM store in Keizer, Oregon. But in late 2024, Bricks & Minifigs corporate abruptly terminated the franchise owners’ agreement and installed new management, according to the claims.

When the new owners allegedly said they had no knowledge of the arrangement, Reckless Ben launched a series of viral documentary-style videos investigating what happened to the collection.

The YouTuber confronted store owners, traveled to BAM’s Utah headquarters and staged protests outside the home of a company owner. He also published police body-camera footage as part of his campaign against the company.

Authorities in Utah allegedly released unredacted body-camera footage, which critics claimed suggested police were attempting to pressure Ben into dropping his investigation.

The fight escalated further when Ben was slapped with a gag order, civil lawsuits and a search warrant. He says a subsequent no-bail arrest warrant forced him to flee to Mexico.

In a June 1 video, Schneider released his own version of events, claiming he has repeatedly requested body-camera footage and has received death threats amid the controversy.

“Some of the best lawyers in the United States are reaching out to me right now. So eventually this is going to get released. Wouldn’t you just like to get this over with sooner rather than dragging this out?” Schneider said.

Meanwhile, the YouTuber has raised more than $489,000 through a GoFundMe campaign to help the Mansell family recover the LEGO collection and cover mounting legal expenses.

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