Benjamin Paul Wiener / Benaiah Capital
Summary
Benjamin Paul Wiener, 43, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2026 on 29 counts including wire fraud, money laundering, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft for allegedly operating a Ponzi-style scheme through a cluster of eight entities under the 'Benaiah' brand. Prosecutors allege Wiener raised approximately $25.1 million from dozens of investors in South Dakota and Minnesota since at least 2018, returned roughly $12 million as fabricated returns, and diverted an estimated $5.7 million to personal use, producing total alleged investor losses of approximately $20 million. Wiener pleaded not guilty at his July 10, 2026 arraignment and is scheduled for trial on September 15, 2026.
Connected Entities
1 entities · 10 linked investigationsTimeline(7 events)
2018-01-01
Benaiah Holdings, Inc. founded in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Initially structured around insurance, subsequently pivoting to digital asset wealth management. Federal prosecutors allege the fraud scheme began no later than this period.
The Dakota Scout / DOJ Press Release2025-04-01
Wiener allegedly obtained a $1,000,000 line of credit from a Sioux Falls financial institution using falsified documents and the personal identifying information of another individual without authorization.
DOJ Press Release2025-08-15
U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler issued an order in civil case Kinnetz v. Benaiah Holdings et al. (4:2025cv04134) appointing a receiver and freezing assets of the Benaiah entities after finding evidence of a 'potential fraud' and imminent danger of further asset dissipation.
The Dakota Scout / Casemine2026-06-01
A federal grand jury in the District of South Dakota returned a 29-count indictment against Benjamin Paul Wiener, including 8 counts of wire fraud, 19 counts of money laundering, 1 count of bank fraud, and 1 count of aggravated identity theft.
DOJ Press Release2026-07-10
Wiener appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy for arraignment, pleaded not guilty to all 29 counts, and was released on bond.
DOJ Press Release2026-07-16
The U.S. Department of Justice and IRS Criminal Investigation publicly announced the indictment. Trial date set for September 15, 2026.
DOJ Press Release2026-09-15
Trial scheduled in the District of South Dakota. No outcome had been reported as of the time this investigation was compiled.
DOJ Press ReleaseDecision Log
- #1publish⛓ pending8/1/2026, 11:23:38 PMhash: BaUfiLFW6ZRFWDkUucKuEN1LiRAEfWJ1jUzwgoJ4vdu4
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generated: 8/1/2026, 11:23:27 PM
last updated: 8/2/2026, 12:45:51 PM
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