Benaiah Capital / Benjamin Wiener
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anchored·3Rrhgm…E5m7Summary
Benjamin Paul Wiener, 43, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was indicted in June 2026 by a federal grand jury on 29 counts including wire fraud, money laundering, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors allege he raised approximately $25.1 million from dozens of investors through a cluster of eight entities — anchored by Benaiah Capital LLC and Benaiah Holdings, Inc. — while operating a classic Ponzi structure: using new investor funds to pay earlier investors and diverting an alleged $5.7 million to personal expenses. A parallel civil receivership proceeding, Kinnetz v. Benaiah Holdings (D.S.D. 4:25-cv-04134), was filed in July 2025 after the Benaiah entities collapsed following FBI and IRS raids. Wiener has pleaded not guilty and trial is scheduled for September 15, 2026.
Connected Entities
1 entities- + 4 more
Community submissions
- Under reviewincriminatingWayback pending8/16/2026, 10:09:13 PM
“Official DOJ press release confirming 29-count indictment; trial September 15, 2026 is an imminent milestone for updating the existing entry”
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- Under reviewincriminatingWayback pending8/3/2026, 4:08:44 PM
“Federal trial of Benjamin Paul Wiener begins September 15, 2026. The 29-count indictment covers wire fraud, money laundering, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft with ~$20M in losses. Pre-trial ”
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- Under reviewincriminatingWayback pending8/2/2026, 4:10:30 PM
“Benjamin Paul Wiener was indicted July 10, 2026 on 29 federal counts (wire fraud, money laundering, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft) for ~$20M in alleged crypto investment fraud targeting dozens of victims. Trial date set September 15, 2026. The existing page predates this indictment and the formal federal trial date, which are material escalations from prior allegation stage.”
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- Under reviewincriminatingWayback pending7/30/2026, 4:12:44 PM
“[Scout] Benjamin Paul Wiener, 43, was indicted July 10, 2026 on 29 counts for operating a $20M crypto Ponzi through the Benaiah entities — 8+ companies marketed as digital asset hedge funds since at least 201”
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Timeline(14 events)
2018
Benaiah entities begin operating, allegedly soliciting investors in digital asset funds. Exact formation dates of individual entities vary; the indictment alleges fraud 'since at least 2018.'
DOJ Press Release / Crypto Briefing2021
Timothy Kinnetz Revocable Trust (Florida) begins investing with Benaiah entities, ultimately committing $4 million.
Marshall RadioDecember 2024
Benaiah entities cease communication with at least one investor. Regular account statements, previously provided for approximately one year, stop.
Marshall RadioMarch 2025
Timothy Kinnetz accesses the fund's Kraken trading account and finds a balance of less than $600 — despite having committed $4 million in investments.
Marshall RadioApril 2025
Wiener allegedly obtains a $1,000,000 bank line of credit by submitting falsified documents and using another individual's personal identifying information without authorization.
DOJ Press ReleaseJune 2025
FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation conduct raids on Benaiah's Sioux Falls office and Wiener's personal residence. The Benaiah entities collapse in the final days of June 2025.
Marshall Radio / The Dakota Scout18 July 2025
Timothy Kinnetz, as trustee of the Timothy A. Kinnetz Revocable Trust, files civil lawsuit (Case No. 4:25-cv-04134-CCT) in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota against Benaiah Holdings, its affiliates, Wiener, Joshua DeWitt, and Christopher Hmielewski.
Justia Docket15 August 2025
U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler grants the Kinnetz Trust's expedited motion to appoint a receiver over the Benaiah entities, finding evidence of fraud and deceptive statements by Wiener. Court later expands receiver's authority to cover more than a dozen related companies citing imminent danger of asset concealment.
Leagle / The Dakota Scout25 February 2026
Court issues order granting motions by Keith McKinzie, Kyle McKinzie, and Kris McKinzie to intervene in the Kinnetz v. Benaiah Holdings civil proceeding.
Leagle20 May 2026
U.S. District Judge Theeler denies as moot several motions to dismiss and denies a motion to dismiss the First Amended Complaint, allowing the civil case to proceed.
Justia / CaseMineJune 2026
Federal grand jury for the District of South Dakota returns a 29-count indictment against Benjamin Paul Wiener on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
DOJ Press Release10 July 2026
Wiener appears before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy for arraignment, enters a not guilty plea, and is released on bond.
DOJ Press Release / DRG News16 July 2026
DOJ press release announces indictment publicly. Multiple media outlets report on the 29-count indictment and approximately $20 million in alleged investor losses.
DOJ / Multiple outlets15 September 2026
Trial date set in U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota. Wiener remains presumed innocent.
DOJ Press ReleaseDecision Log
- hash: AoMXWSsj6oUCNUPN5YEcmBRUqq8xCvg8Us9fo7u2AYEz
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain (1 event).
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 7/25/2026, 11:12:47 PM
last updated: 7/25/2026, 11:12:57 PM
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