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Police say Marvel legend Stan Lee was a victim of elder abuse by his former manager

Posted at 1:12 PM, May 29, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-29 14:12:10-04

Los Angeles prosecutors will charge a former business manager for late Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee with false imprisonment, grand theft, and elder abuse.

Keya Morgan, who also is known as Keyrash Mazhari, was arrested Saturday in Arizona and he has yet to be extradited to California.

Formal charges will be filed at an arraignment in Los Angeles, which has not yet been scheduled.

The charges listed on a complaint filed for an arrest warrant are 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.

CNN has reached out to an attorney for Morgan.

If convicted on all five charges he could face up to 10 years in prison.

Police say suspect kept more than $250,000

Among other things, Morgan, 33, is accused of collecting money from business transactions -- like autograph signing sessions in May 2018 that totaled more than $262,000 -- and not transferring the money to Lee.

Lee died in November 2018 at age 95.

His estate was worth more than $50 million, but no one had clear authority to act on Lee's behalf, police said.

"Morgan exerted his control and influence over Lee," police said in the news release.

Morgan also is accused of falsely imprisoning Lee when he took Lee from his Hollywood Hills home to what police described as a "secured Beverly Hills condominium" in the late night hours in June 2018.

Police said Lee was "removed from Morgan's control" later that month when he was arrested by LAPD for making fake 911 calls in May 2018. Police said Morgan made the calls in order to make Lee believe he was in danger.

Lee had a restraining order against Morgan

Morgan reportedly became close to Lee after the death of his wife, Joan Lee, in 2017.

Before his death, Lee was granted a temporary restraining order against Morgan that banned him from abusing, harassing or contacting Lee and required him to stay at least 100 yards away from him.

At the time, Morgan denied the allegations.

"I have taken great care of Stan Lee for the past many years, and have never had a problem directly with Stan. I have a fantastic relationship with him for the past many years as he has stated countless times on the record and I literally saved his life once," Morgan told TMZ in June 2018. "I will 100% prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the allegations against me are false."

Lee was the creator of dozens of iconic comic figures, including Spider-Man, X-Men, Iron Man and Black Panther.