A Florida man who ran a classic car restoration shop in Upstate New York has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for defrauding customers out of more than $2.5 million.
Clark P. Rittersbach, 51, of Cape Coral, Florida owned Concours Classic Motor Cars, a business located just over a half hour east of Rochester in Macedon. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the business restored and sold antique vehicles.
Investigators said that between 2018 and April 2022, Rittersbach repeatedly lied to customers, often over email and text, about work he claimed was finished so they would send him money. In reality, much of the work wasn’t done or ever even started.
Prosecutors said he used the false updates to buy time and keep customers paying while he scrambled to complete the restorations.
According to a press release, it is not uncommon for restoration work and the collection of authentic parts to take place over the course of years for classic car enthusiasts. Many of Rittersbach’s customers were long distance or international andoften relied on his assurances of what work was being done without seeing the work in person before paying him.
In one case, he told a customer he had finished work on a Duesenberg engine and sent a $25,000 invoice. The customer wired the money, but the work hadn’t been completed. In another case, he exaggerated progress on a 1964 Porsche to collect payment early.
Altogether, prosecutors say Rittersbach defrauded his victims of the scheme for a total amount of approximately $2,536,308.
