The owner of a company in upstate New York that specializes in the restoration and sale of classic cars has been sentenced to two years in prison. Clark P. Rittersbach, 51, of Cape Coral, Florida, was convicted of wire fraud last week in U.S. District Court.
Rittersbach, the owner of Concours Classic Motor Cars in Wayne County, New York, was found guilty of making “misrepresentations to customers, many via email and text message, about work and acquisitions he claimed to have completed to obtain money from these customers.”
At the time of his arrest, it was reported that Rittersbach falsely billed three individuals for restoration work on their classic cars. When federal authorities asked him to provide evidence of work being done, he allegedly became unresponsive.
The prison sentence was announced last week by U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo of the Western District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford handled the case. Rittersbach’s scheme was uncovered by an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to a Department of Justice (DoJ) press release, because of the nature of the restoration work allegedly being performed, customers often relied on his assurances about what was being done without seeing the work in person before paying him. The fact that the restoration of classic cars can often take years to complete was also used to Rittersbach’s advantage. Many of his customers were also “long distance or international, according to the DoJ.
One example of the fraud committed by Rittersbach occurred when he falsely claimed he’d completed work on a Duesenberg engine. In that case, the Department of Justice explained, he invoiced the victim for $25,000, which they paid.
“During the course of the scheme, Rittersbach defrauded victims of the scheme of a total amount of approximately $2,536,308.64,” the DoJ claimed.
Doug Sheckler is a Senior Editor at MotorBiscuit and BroBible. He began his professional career working for an auto racing sanctioning body, and subsequently founded his own racing series, which remains in operation today. He has since spent the better part of two decades creating, editing, and writing for a variety of websites.
These days, he has a special affinity for hypercars and other exotic vehicles that he will never own. He also enjoys delving into stories about the world of criminals, the more foolish and/or clever the better, and is always up for a good conspiracy theory. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Iowa.
