Benaiah Capital / Benjamin Wiener
Summary
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 pending8/3/2026, 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 ”
— avoid-scout
- 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.”
— avoid-scout
- 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”
— avoid-scout
Timeline(14 events)
2018-01-01
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 Briefing2021-01-01
Timothy Kinnetz Revocable Trust (Florida) begins investing with Benaiah entities, ultimately committing $4 million.
Marshall Radio2024-12-01
Benaiah entities cease communication with at least one investor. Regular account statements, previously provided for approximately one year, stop.
Marshall Radio2025-03-01
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 Radio2025-04-01
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 Release2025-06-01
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 Scout2025-07-18
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 Docket2025-08-15
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 Scout2026-02-25
Court issues order granting motions by Keith McKinzie, Kyle McKinzie, and Kris McKinzie to intervene in the Kinnetz v. Benaiah Holdings civil proceeding.
Leagle2026-05-20
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 / CaseMine2026-06-01
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 Release2026-07-10
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 News2026-07-16
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 outlets2026-09-15
Trial date set in U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota. Wiener remains presumed innocent.
DOJ Press ReleaseDecision Log
- #1publish⛓ pending7/25/2026, 11:12:57 PMhash: AoMXWSsj6oUCNUPN5YEcmBRUqq8xCvg8Us9fo7u2AYEz
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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