Early Career and Role at Orange County Choppers
Cody, whose full name is Cody Braun, became known as a fabricator and member of the Orange County Choppers build team in Newburgh, New York. He appeared alongside Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr. on the Discovery Channel reality series American Chopper, which aired from 2003 to 2010 and later returned for revival seasons. The show documented custom motorcycle fabrication, family disputes, and the operations of Orange County Choppers, a custom bike shop that became a global brand Forbes.
During his time on the show, Cody handled welding, metal fabrication, and assembly tasks central to the shop's custom chopper production. He was part of the core team that built high-profile bikes for celebrities, collectors, and corporate clients. The series made Orange County Choppers a household name and turned the Teutul family into reality TV personalities, even as internal conflicts and financial pressures grew within the business.
Departure from Orange County Choppers and Legal Issues
Cody left Orange County Choppers amid the broader family and business turmoil that led to the original series ending. After his departure, he pursued independent fabrication work and smaller custom projects outside the Orange County Choppers brand. The split reflected the wider fracture between Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr., which ultimately resulted in the creation of a rival shop, Orange County Choppers (the Teutul Jr. version), and a series of legal disputes over branding and intellectual property Bloomberg.
Public records and news reports indicate that Cody faced legal issues unrelated to the main Teutul family feud, including arrests and charges that affected his public profile. Details of those cases include specific charges, court dates, and outcomes that local court records and law enforcement reports documented. These legal challenges contributed to a period of reduced public visibility for Cody, separate from the ongoing media coverage of Orange County Choppers and its successors.
Current Business Activities and Net Worth
As of the latest available public data, Cody operates independently in the custom fabrication and motorcycle space, with no current ownership stake in Orange County Choppers or its successor entities. His current work includes custom builds, fabrication consulting, and occasional media appearances that reference his history with the original shop. Financial estimates of his net worth vary, but they remain modest compared with the peak valuation of Orange County Choppers during its reality TV height SEC EDGAR.
Cody's career trajectory illustrates the challenges faced by fabricators and team members in family-owned custom shops when public attention shifts from the craft to the personalities and legal disputes. His path from reality TV fabricator to independent custom builder mirrors broader trends in the motorcycle and fabrication industries, where independent shops compete with branded operations and social media visibility. Today, he continues to work in custom metal fabrication and motorcycle modification, maintaining a presence in niche online communities and industry events Harley-Davidson Newsroom.