Patrick James

Patrick James (born 1964 ) is an Indian-American businessman who founded First Brands and was its chief executive officer (CEO) until October 2025.

Early life and education Patrick James was born in 1964 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to an Indian Catholic family. He spent his early years in Petaling Jaya, a satellite township of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he attended a school administered by the De La Salle Brothers.

In the 1980s, James moved to the U.S. to study at the College of Wooster, a small liberal-arts college in northern Ohio. During this period, he faced legal and financial scrutiny. Court filings indicated that James's companies frequently transacted with one another, and he drew substantial management fees from several entities.

On January 29, 2026, James and his brother were indicted on federal fraud charges. Both are accused of intentionally bankrupting First Brands and fraudulently obtaining billions of dollars without notice from lenders and financing partners by inflating invoices for accounts receivable and payable, falsifying financial payments and hiding substantial liabilities from lenders. James has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the nine-count indictment.

Philanthropy Through the Sandor Foundation, James and his wife donated millions of dollars to a non-profit and parish associated with Father Robert Stec, a priest who has been pastor of St Ambrose Church in Ohio since 2005. Two people who worked closely with James have said that Stec was a frequent visitor to the couple’s estate in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, where James built a private chapel. The property includes multiple houses and two tennis courts.

Personal life James is married to Elizabeth James. In the 2010s, he purchased two farms in Ohio with horse stables, followed by oceanfront properties in Malibu and the Hamptons. In 2021, he bought a Hamptons house for $18.75 million.

To manage and secure these properties and a collection of vintage cars, James employed a large household staff, including a security team drawn in part from former military personnel.