A Cleveland Heights clock repair business owner pleaded guilty on the very day his trial was scheduled to begin, admitting he scammed customers out of thousands of dollars by charging for repairs that were never done. Michael Daniel, 37, owned and operated Cleveland Clock Repair LLC, which did business in Cleveland, Cleveland Heights and Medina, and entered his plea in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas to grand theft and theft of protected services.
According to the prosecutor, Daniel scammed 32 victims between January 2021 and October 2025, ranging in age from 41 to 95, charging them for repair services that never happened. As reported by Cleveland 19 News, prosecutors say he took in over $20,000 for services he never provided. Court records cited by the outlet indicate he returned three victims' clocks without ever repairing them, while 42 more clocks belonging to victims were never repaired or returned at all.
The case against Daniel actually began with a narrower scope. When a Cuyahoga County grand jury first indicted him in October 2025, prosecutors charged him with six felony counts tied to 15 identified victims and an estimated $26,000 in combined unreturned clocks and unpaid services, according to WKYC. That original indictment included four counts of theft from a protected class and two counts of grand theft. By the time Daniel entered his guilty plea, the case had grown to encompass 32 victims and dozens of unreturned clocks.
From Not Guilty to a Guilty Plea
Daniel pleaded not guilty to all charges at his arraignment in November 2025, and the court released him on a $2,500 personal bond, the station reported. Pre-trial proceedings began the following month, setting the case on a path toward the trial date he ultimately used to change his plea instead.
The investigation that built the case was led by the Cleveland Heights Police Department, which opened a dedicated tip line to gather evidence from affected customers across Cuyahoga and Medina counties, per the same account. The Better Business Bureau now lists Cleveland Clock Repair as out of business, and notes the company was never BBB-accredited.
What the Charges Carry
Daniel pleaded guilty to grand theft and theft of protected services under Ohio Revised Code Section 2913.02. Grand theft involving property or services valued between $7,500 and $150,000 is classified as a fourth-degree felony in Ohio, carrying statutory penalties of six to 18 months in prison and fines up to $5,000, according to the Law Offices of Brian J. Smith, Ltd. The statute also enhances theft penalties when victims belong to a protected class, defined as elderly individuals, disabled adults or active-duty military personnel, elevating charges to fifth- or fourth-degree felonies with mandatory restitution considerations, according to Sabol Mallory. Those enhancements can trigger when victims are age 60 or older.
Daniel is scheduled to be sentenced on October 26. It remains unclear whether restitution will be ordered for the dozens of unreturned clocks, some of which may carry sentimental or antique value beyond their repair cost, or what sentence prosecutors will ultimately recommend.
Part of a Wider Pattern of Elder Fraud
Cases like Daniel's are unfolding against a backdrop of rising elder financial exploitation across Ohio. State regulatory data released in 2025 showed fraud and scam complaints filed by older adults in Ohio increased 22% between 2023 and 2024, according to The Press. The FBI's Elder Fraud Report released in 2024 ranked Ohio sixth highest nationwide in elder fraud complaint volume, with reported losses among older residents in the state exceeding $64 million in a single year, as nationwide elder fraud losses topped $3.4 billion.
Cuyahoga County law enforcement agencies maintain dedicated resources for elder economic crime, collaborating through initiatives like the Cuyahoga County SCAM Squad to investigate service-related financial exploitation of older adults, according to the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. That task force combines local police and prosecutors to pursue cases involving vulnerable residents, a priority that mirrors the years-long scheme prosecutors say Daniel ran out of his clock repair business.
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