Authorities in Arizona say the late Stan Lee’s former business manager has been arrested on suspicion of elder abuse in connection with his relationship with the driving force behind Marvel Comics.
According to Deadline, Keya Morgan was arrested on Saturday in Arizona on charges filed out of Los Angeles County, California.
The suspect reportedly took over Lee’s business affairs in early 2018, about nine months before his death in November of the same year.
In the process, Morgan allegedly embezzled more than $262,000 from the celebrity’s autograph fees, as KTLA reported.
“Morgan removed Lee from his Hollywood Hills residence to a secured Beverly Hills condominium during the late night hours of June 8, 2018,” the Los Angeles Police Department claimed in a public statement. “Morgan was using this tactic to further deceive Lee into believing he was in danger and needed to be moved from his home to a more secured condominium where Morgan had more control over Lee.”
Shortly after Morgan began working for Lee in February, Los Angeles police reportedly launched an elder abuse investigation.
“Mr. Lee had a large estate worth over an estimated $50 million with no clear protection from opportunists who could insert themselves into his life and take control of it,” the police statement indicated.
Morgan is expected to be charged with a range of criminal counts, including felony false imprisonment of an elder person and three felony grand theft from an elder adult counts.
Defense attorney Alex Kessel, however, disputes the charges and accused the district attorney’s office of failing to “honor our commitment to surrender next week and arrested him.”
The suspect was locked up on $300,000 bail and is set to appear before a judge prior to extradition to Los Angeles where he will face the charges against him.
[Featured image: Keya Morgan/Los Angeles Police Department and Stan Lee/Wikimedia Commons, Gage Skidmore]
