Philip Aubrey is the father of James Aubrey who was arrested after setting up a multi-million dollar Ponzi Scheme. After he was released on bail, he fled to Croatia, abandoning his wife and a 13 year old James Aubrey and psychologically scarring him for life.
James first mentioned his father in The Money Maker on the Merry-Go-Round. Booth read his file and learned about what happened between him and his father. Brennan thought that Aubrey should give him another chance if Philip deserves to have a second chance with Aubrey, such as how she gave her father a second chance.
James revealed that he was the person who turned in his own father in The Next in the Last, while searching for the possible protege of former serial killer Christopher Pelant.
It was determined by Karen Delfs that he returned to Washington D.C. and he hired Frank Kwiatowski to investigate Aubrey in The Fight in the Fixer.
Caroline Julian gave Aubrey a picture of Philip Aubrey who he determined to have had plastic surgery during his time in Croatia and that he started opening new bank accounts and transferring money from the offshore bank accounts tied with his known aliases which were in the process of being shut down by the US Treasury. He got into the country through Miami International Airport using the name of a Dutch national who had died which explained why it took too long to confirm his identity.
Philip Aubrey came to James Aubrey at The Royal Diner asking for money to support his "new family;" a new wife and a son because the government has been shutting down his offshore accounts. Aubrey hesitated to arrest him at first because he was afraid that he would end up giving another kid the same life he went through. Booth wanted him to talk to him after expressing his regrets in not having a chance to talk to his own father; Edwin Booth. Aubrey thought about it considering everything Delfs, Brennan, and Booth told him, but he couldn't bring himself to trust him yet. After meeting with him again at The Royal Diner, Philip was arrested by Aubrey and Booth. Aubrey told Philip to never take credit for his accomplishments and that any good in him was despite having him as a father while two FBI Agents escorted him out of the diner. Booth told Aubrey that the kid in the photo was not his half-brother after sending a copy to the State Department.
Trivia
- Philip Aubrey can be viewed as the Anti-Max because they both abandoned their families due to their criminal activities and have children who resented them for it. Unlike Max Keenan who reconnects with his kids, Phillip only cares about himself and getting rich with no regards to his family.
- Guy Boyd is the real-life father of John Boyd.