First Brands Auto Group, a maker of major-label auto parts, will shutter its East Marion facility by April 30, according to a WARN notice filed this week with the state Department of Employment & Workforce.
The move affects 64 jobs in Marion County, which already has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state, nearly 7 percent.
The announcement of the closure follows a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by the company in Texas in September.
It also follows the indictment of the company’s former CEO Patrick James and his brother, Former Senior Executive Edward James, who were charged with fraud in a federal court in New York in January.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, from 2018 to 2025, the James brothers allegedly "perpetrated multiple fraud schemes to fake and falsely inflate invoices for accounts receivable and payable; double- and triple-pledge loan collateral; falsify corporate financial statements; and conceal substantial liabilities from lenders. These schemes yielded billions of dollars in financing to First Brands and enabled [the brothers] to reap millions of dollars in fraud proceeds."
On Wednesday, Reuters reported that Jeffries Financial Group has been sued by investors who claim that Jeffries "defrauded them into investing in a fund linked to First Brands."
First Brands operates several major automotive and trailer brands including Raybestos, FRAM, Reese, and Draw-Tite.
