A Florida man who ran a classic car restoration business in Macedon is heading to federal prison for scamming customers out of more than $2.5 million.
Clark Rittersbach, 51, was sentenced to two years behind bars after pleading guilty to wire fraud, federal prosecutors announced Monday.
Rittersbach owned Concours Classic Motor Cars in Macedon, a shop that restored and sold antique vehicles, often for international and long-distance clients. Many trusted his word — and his invoices — without seeing the work in person.
But from 2018 to 2022, prosecutors say Rittersbach repeatedly lied to customers through emails and text messages, claiming progress on cars he hadn’t touched, then collecting large payments for work he hadn’t completed.
In one case, he told a client in 2019 that a Duesenberg engine restoration was finished and sent a $25,000 invoice. The client wired the money, but the work was not done.
He pulled a similar move with another customer, overstating work on a 1964 Porsche and asking for early payment. Over four years, Rittersbach defrauded clients out of more than $2.5 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said he used the lies to stall customers while he scrambled to finish what they’d already paid for.
The FBI investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford prosecuted it. U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford handed down the 24-month sentence.
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