Man Allegedly Stole $365K from Skateboard Pro Ryan Sheckler

Huntington Beach - A San Clemente resident who handled business dealings for professional skateboarder Ryan Sheckler was arrested and charged Friday with embezzling more than $365,000 from his 19-year-old boss.

Matthew Mercuro, 36, faces up to six years and eight months in prison if convicted of two felony counts of grand theft with sentencing enhancements for allegedly stealing more than $200,000 and $65,000, said Deputy District Attorney Brian Mulherin.

Mercuro worked as the chief financial officer from June 2008 to April of this year for two companies owned by Sheckler, whose MTV reality show, "Life of Ryan," was canceled earlier this year.

Mercuro is accused of embezzling more than $365,000 from Ryan Sheckler Rips LLC and Sheckler Merch 2 LLC by transferring money from the corporate accounts into his own personal accounts, as well as those of his wife and a friend, Mulherin said.

Other executives with the companies noticed some discrepancies and alerted authorities, the prosecutor said.

Huntington Beach police investigated the case and arrested the suspect at his business in San Clemente, Mulherin said.

It was not immediately clear why Huntington Beach investigators were involved in the case, and calls to the department were not immediately returned.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information was asked to call Huntington Beach police Detective Mark Garcia at (714) 960-8848 or Supervising District Attorney Investigator Ron Frazier at (714) 347-8691.

Arraignment is scheduled Tuesday for Mercuro, who is being held in lieu of $400,000 bail. If he makes bail, he has to prove any money posted was legally obtained, Mulherin said.