The $200,000 LEGO Bricks & Minifigs Theft Has More Victims Than You Think

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:07]Hey everyone, welcome back to Romania Bricks. As connoisseurs of these tiny polymer bricks that we are surrounded by, we have been along with the rest of the LEGO community absolutely captivated by this story that has been swirling around that is focusing on one of LEGO's largest aftermarket resellers, Bricks and Minigs. There is a lot of information. There's a lot of rumors.

[00:00:37]There's a lot of stories. And there's a lot of truth. And I'm sure that you all, just like our family, are wondering what in the world are we to do with all of this information that we're receiving.

[00:00:50]And I hope to talk with you guys about that today. Now, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, then quite honestly, I'm curious how I even wound up in your algorithm today, because this story is filtering through the LEGO community quicker than scalpers could wipe the shelves of those gingerbread at Walkers at Christmas time. The story that I'm referencing is this absolutely wild story out of Oregon and Utah that's focusing on one Bricks and Minifigs franchisee and the larger franchiseor Bricks and Minigs corporate and this large spotlight that is continuing to shine on both of them as the allegations and evidence continue to mount regarding this $200,000 Lego Star Wars collection that belonged to the Manel family has been stolen.

[00:01:47]$200,000.

[00:01:50]Like that's that's a low-end Lamborghini. I mean, in some places that you live, that's a small house. This is no small sum of money. This isn't just a little hobby store theft. We're talking a really big deal. If you haven't seen the story yet, I encourage you to watch this video by Reckless Ben that does a fantastic job laying out this entire story. In fact, Reckless Ben is the one who was able to push this into the public spotlight, something that many, many months of legal process have been unable to do. Now, quite honestly, this is one of the best pieces of content I've ever seen on YouTube. It is so creative and so well done. And regardless of what you feel about Reckless Ben's tactics and how he went about this, it was certainly masterfully executed. Now, alongside that, I'd also encourage you to watch this video by Leonard French, who does a fantastic job talking through the legal side of this story, giving a really clear picture of all of the legal implications of this case, of everything that is playing into what we're seeing unfold in front of us online. Honestly, this story is so wild, it feels straight out of Hollywood or maybe the Babylon. And let's be real, there are some very real victims in this story. Starting with Brian Mancel and his father, Brian Mancel, who consigned this $200,000 Lego collection to Bricks and Minigs, and now it's gone. Alongside that is the Gorman family that ran this local Bricks and Minifigs franchisee store before they lost it in a saga that set this entire thing into motion. There is just so much that is happening. And as LEGO collectors, as people who have local bricks and minifigs around us, as people who shop and interact with these stores on a regular basis, there's just a lot of emotions and thoughts for us to process through. This hits much deeper than some disconnected internet story, but it's something that has implications on how we interact with this Lego hobby that we all share. And we're all trying to figure out what do we do with that?

[00:04:22]But amidst this entire saga, I think that we're forgetting that there's more victims than just the Mantel family and the Gorman family. In fact, there's around 300 more victims out there that we're not talking about. They are 300 victims that are now experiencing some level of hurt and some level of loss because of the actions that we've seen unfold and documented in these videos by Reckless Ben. Those victims are franchises that all around the country have put good faith behind a brand that they thought they could trust and operate their business under. While I can't speak to the national landscape of all of these franchisee stores, I can speak to the number of posts that I've been seeing online from regional bricks and minifigs that are asking and pleading for kindness from the community. They're asking for the onestar reviews to stop. They're asking for these projections against evil corporate to stop. They're just asking for their community's kindness and their community's support. They're asking for people to not give up on them. Now, I understand that these franchises have to pay a royalty on their sales to Bricks and Mini Figs Corporate. And beyond that, they have to pay percentages to be a part of marketing co-ops and all that comes along with being a part of that brand. I get that they are still cash flowing Bricks and Minifigs Corporation, but I want you to consider this. When they signed these contracts in good faith with Bricks and Minifigs, they weren't signing up to do business with a crooked business. They weren't signing up to do business with a company that would have a giant spotlight on it because of this controversy around this $200,000 LEGO collection. They weren't signing up for all that is being portrayed on social media towards the franchise yet.

[00:06:32]They were signing up for a company that seemed reputable, seemed in good standing that they could build their personal independent businesses upon.

[00:06:42]But now, now they're bound to their agreements. They have signed contracts with Bricks and Minifigs that whether they agree with this or not, whether they support this or not, whether they land on one side of the story or the other, they have no choice but to pay those royalties. If they don't pay those royalties, there's a high likelihood that being in default of a franchisee agreement means that they lose their store, much like what we watched unfold with the Gorman family and the loss of their store that set this whole thing into motion. So, they're stuck. They are stuck paying that fee. Even if they disagree with it, even if they see that there was brokenness at play, they are bound to that agreement. And now they're suffering too. Not only the owners, but the families that rely on the sales of those stores to feed their kids, to feed their spouses, the money that they give away into their communities. There are more victims in this story than what we're willing to address or willing to talk about. For the most part, these independent bricks and mini figs BAM store owners, they're not independently wealthy business moguls that don't feel a hit like this. They're not a major insulated corporation with all these different extensions of income. They're just men and women like you and me that at some point had a passion for these polymer Lego bricks and said, "I want to make a career and a living out of this.

[00:08:24]I want to enjoy my hobby and provide income for my family through this hobby.

[00:08:30]I want to do something fun and cool in my community through this." That's the type of owners that traditionally own these franchisee stores. So, on one hand, I understand the tension. And it's a very real tension that we felt as a family. Can we continue to shop at local bricks and minifig stores when part of our money is going to this corporation?

[00:08:55]But the realization is is that we're not as much hurting the corporation by not shopping as these stores as we are hurting another victim in the story. as we are hurting local men and women in our own community that celebrate this same hobby with us that are being held hostage right now by Bricks and Minifig Corporate because of the agreements that they bound in good faith that then wasn't represented well these local store owners are deeply damaged and scarred by the reputation that's being built and I know this is all allegation at this point Nothing beyond the default judgments of a no-show in court has been litigated to prove any wrongdoing. But the evidence is mounting. I think any of us can look at the evidence and feel the weight of really what's going on here.

[00:09:49]And these local stores are they're experiencing deep damage as a result of this. They've lost customers coming in.

[00:09:56]They've been flooded with onestar reviews all because of what this parent company has done that they have no choice now. They can't just pull Bricks and Minigs off their store because they will be in default. They can't just stop paying money. So, they are now being held hostage as well. They are victims to a greater mechanism than what they control. They couldn't forecast this.

[00:10:21]They couldn't plan for this. They couldn't anticipate this. And I don't think that I'm speaking out of line when I would say that these owners didn't desire something like this either. They are honest men and women that would have operated their business much differently given this same situation. Yet now they're victim as well. They are going to have to navigate this situation too.

[00:10:45]They're going to have to walk through the legal processes and the remedies that are available to them because of this. They're going to have to ask questions of do we pursue breaking our agreement, breaking our contract, do we look for default remedies in this? Like that's all stuff they're going to have to figure out, too. And all of that takes time. But right now, they're just trying to feed their families and they are victimized by this decision as well.

[00:11:11]So while we think we are sending corporate a massive message by not shopping at the local franchisee stores and I get that this was something that I had to wrestle with as well. We're actually hurting more innocent people through that mechanism and I don't think our message is going to be heard that way. I mean, think about it. In a war, in a war, when an enemy captures the hostages, what is our response? We try to rescue the hostages. We don't shoot the hostages. We save the hostages. And right now, Bricks and Minigs franchises are hostages. They're hostages to something they couldn't expect, to something they couldn't anticipate, and now they're paying the price for that.

[00:11:58]So, what are we to do about that? First, if you have a local Bricks and Minifigs in your area, I bet you the owner and the people there that you probably know could really use your encouragement. Pop in, hug their neck, shake their hand, tell them you see them and you appreciate them. I bet the families that work there and the staff that work there that are feeling the weight of corporate's decision and they're carrying it on their shoulders. I bet they could use another pair of shoulders as well. I bet they could use a kind voice. I bet they could use a positive review online if you're willing to share that. Second, I think it is important for us to send a message to corporate, but it's all in how we do that. Write a letter, write an email, post a video, post on social media, but be sure it's directed where it needs to be directed.

[00:12:56]Number one, and be sure it's done in kindness and in respect as well. We can speak the truth in kindness. The way to fight a fire is not with a fire. It's with water. So, make sure that your voice is heard. You don't have to be silent. If you're hurt by this too, you don't have to stay silent. Just recognize where the enemy lies and recognize who's being hurt by the enemy along the way. I'm reminded of the words of Jesus in moments like this. But to you who are listening, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you.

[00:13:36]Bless those who curse you. And pray for those who mistreat you. Love, it demands the truth.

[00:13:44]But the truth, it also demands love. And in that ultimately change can happen. I don't know how this story ends or where things go from here, but I do know there's a lot more victims than the man cells and the Gorman's. We'll keep following this story along with all of you. It doesn't look good. That is for sure. And I'd imagine there's a lot more twists and turns yet to come in this story. And we we have our opinions of what others should do, both from a corporate standpoint and a franchisee standpoint. But we'll we'll save those opinions for another day. These store owners though, let's show them a little love along the way. These are some tough days ahead for them. Let's live with the rhythm that we talk about at the end of each of our videos. Let's go out there and let's give more. Let's do more.

[00:14:44]Let's share more. And let's love more.

[00:14:47]And whatever you do, remember to always show your smile. Those smiles, they truly are contagious.

[00:14:59]the Lord.