CLEVELAND — Federal prosecutors say three Northeast Ohio men — including two brothers from Chagrin Falls and Canton — are facing sweeping fraud and money laundering charges tied to the collapse of a global automotive parts company.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Patrick James, 61, of Chagrin Falls, and his brother Edward James, 60, of Canton, were arrested in Ohio on Thursday after a federal indictment was unsealed, charging them with multiple counts of wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering conspiracy and related offenses.
Prosecutors allege the James brothers orchestrated a years-long fraud at First Brands Group, LLC, a global automotive aftermarket parts supplier founded by Patrick James, ultimately driving the company into bankruptcy in September 2025…