The long strange tale of Stan Lee and the controversy over his allegedly abusive business manager Keya Morgan takes a new turn. Officially charged with stealing money from comic book creator Stan Lee and falsely imprisoning him last year, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced yesterday.   He was arrested over the weekend in Arizona, and is expected to be extradited to Los Angeles pending arraignment.

Keya Morgan, aka Keyrash Mazhari (dob 10/21/75), is charged in case BA477677 with one felony count of false imprisonment of an elder by use of fraud and deceit, three felony counts of grand theft from an elder of more than $950 and one misdemeanor count of elder abuse for knowingly and willfully inflicting mental suffering on the victim.  

The grand theft charges include an allegation of taking more than $100,000 through fraud and embezzlement, according to the felony complaint filed for arrest warrant on May 10.  

In May and June of 2018, the defendant is accused of taking money belonging to the 95-year-old victim and falsely imprisoning him in a location outside of his residence.   If convicted as charged, he faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years in custody. Prosecutors are recommending that bail be set at $300,000.   Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Stodel of the White Collar Crime Division is prosecuting the case.   The case remains under investigation by the District Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Investigation, and the Los Angeles Police Department.

About the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office

Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey leads the largest local prosecutorial office in the nation. Her staff of nearly 1,000 attorneys, 300 investigators and 800 support staff members is dedicated to protecting the County of Los Angeles through the fair and ethical pursuit of justice and the safeguarding of crime victims’ rights.

Update:

The case did go to trial, but in November of 2022, the result was a hung jury, and in the end, the charges against Keya Morgan were dismissed.

A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday declared a mistrial and dismissed theft charges against the former manager to the late Marvel Comics pioneer Stan Lee.

Keya Morgan had pleaded not guilty to three counts of grand theft from an elder after prosecutors alleged he stole more than $200,000 in proceeds of memorabilia sales from Lee before his 2018 death.

At trial, a 12-person jury deadlocked 11-1 in favor of acquittal, and Superior Court Judge George Lomeli subsequently dismissed the charges.

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SCIFI Radio Staff
SCIFI Radio Staff

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