Sen. Bernie Moreno vows to help workers laid off following company bankruptcy, charges
First Brands, a major auto parts supplier in Ohio, is laying off 1,267 workers and closing four facilities across the state, including its corporate offices in Cleveland.
The facilities will be permanently closed by April 30, following the company’s bankruptcy filing in September 2025, according to The Akron Beacon Journal.
The Department of Justice’s Jan. 29 indictment in Manhattan federal court said that First Brands Group founder and former CEO Patrick James and his brother, Edward, a senior vice president, allegedly engaged in bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy, defrauding lenders out of billions of dollars before the company was forced to file for bankruptcy.
“The fallout from selfish and deceptive actions—such as those alleged in this case—can cascade down to honest and hardworking company employees based right here in Ohio,” U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer said in a DOJ press release. “Their jobs and livelihoods are at stake due to the corrupt actions of a few individuals. Together with our federal partners, we will seek justice on behalf of all victims affected by this travesty.”
Reuters reported that the brother pleaded not guilty on Feb. 4. A trial will take place in July, and if they are convicted, the brothers could spend decades in prison.
On Monday, U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, wrote on X that he will ensure workers who lost their jobs due to layoffs at a corrupt, bankrupt company are employed soon.
These scumbags should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and rot in prison for the pain they’re putting these workers and families through.
I will do whatever it takes to ensure all four facilities are placed in the hands of responsible owners and each and every… https://t.co/1pBYnaOgaF
— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) March 2, 2026
“These scumbags should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and rot in prison for the pain they’re putting these workers and families through,” Moreno wrote. “I will do whatever it takes to ensure all four facilities are placed in the hands of responsible owners, and each and every worker affected does not lose their careers and livelihoods at the hands of alleged criminal fraudsters.”
Moreno, however, didn’t specify what exactly he would do to make that happen.
The news came after the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services released a report on Feb. 26 regarding the unemployment claims filed in Ohio from February 15, 2026, to February 21, 2026. The report said that Ohioans filed 4,911 initial unemployment claims in the middle of February, 1,994 fewer than at the beginning of the month.
The number of Ohioans filing 66,262 continued unemployment claims also allegedly dropped. The total number of claims filed from February 15, 2026, to February 21, 2026, was 71,173, according to the report.
