Former First Brands CEO Patrick James and his brother are indicted for
bilking billions from banks
[January 30, 2026] By
MATT OTT
Patrick James, the former CEO of bankrupt auto parts supplier First
Brands Group, was indicted on federal fraud charges and arrested
Thursday in Ohio with his brother Edward, a former senior executive with
the company, the government said.
The indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District
of New York said the James brothers “perpetrated a yearslong fraud” to
obtains billions of dollars for First Brands — and millions for
themselves — by duping investors and banks with fake documents and false
financial reports.
When it filed for bankruptcy protection in September, officials
representing First Brands said the company had more than $9 billion in
debt and only $12 million in cash, according to Thursday's charging
documents.
After changing its name to First Brands from Crowne Group about five
years ago, the Cleveland company began buying and then cobbling together
a number of aftermarket auto parts manufacturers through debt-financed
deals. Acquisitions by First Brands included well-known industry brands
like Fram filters, Autolite sparkplugs and Anco windshield wiper blades.
The government alleges that the James brothers falsely inflated invoices
for accounts receivable and borrowed against them two and three times,
unbeknownst to lenders and investors. This yielded billions of dollars
of financing for the company, which the James brothers used to finance a
lavish lifestyle, the indictment said.
“The defendants operated First Brands as a ‘Ponzi’ scheme in which new
loan proceeds were used to pay back old lenders and to fund their
extravagant lifestyle,” said Kareem Carter, an agent with the Internal
Revenue Service.
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 A spokesperson for James said
“Patrick James is presumed innocent and denies these charges. He
built First Brands from nothing into a global industry leader and
has always been devoted to the success of the company. Mr. James
looks forward to presenting his case in court.”
A lawsuit brought against Patrick James in November
accused the former First Brands CEO of securing billions of dollars
in debt financing based in part on fraudulent invoices, then
transferring hundreds of millions of dollars to himself and other
affiliates to “fund his and his family’s lavish lifestyle,” which
includes seven homes and 17 cars.
The lawsuit claims that James, with the help of unnamed
conspirators, transferred $8 million to his son-in-law’s wellness
company, $2 million for James’ family office, at least $3 million
toward the rent of his New York City townhouse, $500,000 to his
personal chef and another $150,000 for a “celebrity personal
trainer,” the lawsuit claimed.
The majority of the transfers occurred between 2023 and 2025,
according to the lawsuit.
The indictment released on Thursday also revealed a guilty plea from
former First Brands executive Andy Brumbergs for his role in the
scheme. Brumbergs is cooperating with the government.
Patrick James, 61, and his brother Edward, 60, each face nine
counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit
money laundering. Most of the charges carry a maximum sentence of 30
years if convicted. Patrick, the former CEO, is also facing a
potential life sentence.
They are scheduled to appear before a judge in Ohio later Thursday,
according to the indictment.
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