Photo: Getty
The late, great Stan Lee had some terrible luck with managers in his lifetime.
By Leah Scher — Written on Jun 02, 2019
Stan Lee—THE STAN LEE—comic book writer, editor, publisher and producer extraordinaire—was apparently duped by his most recent business manager, Keya Morgan. Morgan’s actions aren’t as vile as those of Jerardo Olivarez, another ex-business manager of Lee’s who ordered a nurse to extract some of Stan’s blood to sign a few old issues of the Black Panther series with a “Hand-Stamped Signature of STAN LEE using Stan Lee’s Solvent DNA Ink” without Lee’s consent. Who is Keya Morgan?
But what Morgan did is still pretty terrible. That is:
1. He embezzled six figures
Morgan started working for Lee in February of 2018, shortly after Lee’s wife Joan passed away and about nine months before Lee’s death in November of the same year. Reportedly, Morgan took over Lee’s business affairs and embezzled more than $262,000 from Lee’s autograph fees.
2. He relocated Lee out of nowhere
During the late night hours of June 8th, Morgan allegedly removed Lee from his home in the Hollywood Hills to a different condominium in Beverly Hills where he could have more control over him, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. In light of this, he’s being charged with a range of criminal counts, including felony false imprisonment of an elder person and three accounts of felony grand theft from an elder adult. He was locked up on $300,000 bail.
3. He prevented Lee from seeing family and friends
Last year, Lee’s daughter requested a restraining order on her father’s behalf. She reported that Morgan was “manipulating the mentally declining Lee, preventing him from seeing family and friends, and trying to take control of his money and business affairs.”
4. He made a false 911 claim on Lee’s behalf
Really, two former employees (reportedly fired security guards) had just shown up to collect their last paychecks, but Morgan called 911 and claimed that they were holding Lee at gunpoint. He faced a misdemeanor charge for making that fraudulent call.
RELATED: How Did Stan Lee Die? New Details On The Death Of Marvel Comics Legend At 95
5. He tried to flee California charges of fiduciary elder abuse
Apparently not a very skilled escape artist, Morgan was arrested in Arizona even though the charges were filed in California, where the crimes took place. When they realized he’d fled, LA police alerted authorities in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale that Morgan’s cellphone was being used in north Scottsdale. (Has he never heard of a burner phone? Did he ever watch Breaking Bad?) He was found in a house with his mother and arrested without incident on Saturday morning. He then finally appeared in Maricopa County Superior Court on the charge of being a fugitive of justice.
6. And he blames it all on Lee’s daughter
When Lee was granted a restraining order against Morgan back in August of 2018, Morgan told Variety in a phone call: “I dare them to show one single penny that I’ve ever embezzled out of Stan’s bank accounts or anything. Stan has never called the police on me. Stan has never asked me not to call him. Stan has never asked me to leave his house… I’d like to know a single thing I’ve done that has been wrong, other than showing love, kindness and compassion.”
Morgan alleged that Lee fired Jonathan Freund (Lee’s attorney) five months earlier, and blames J.C. Lee (Lee’s daughter) for orchestrating this fiasco. “I know the daughter is behind it,” he said.
Whether Lee’s daughter really is the mastermind behind this scandal or not, this is sad news. After doing the disheartening research for this piece, I had to watch a compilation of Stan Lee cameo appearances in Marvel movies just to lift my spirits again. It’s linked below for your own spirit-lifting pleasure. To Stan Lee, a true doyen of all things superhero.
Leah Scher is an ENFP finishing her degree at Brandeis University. She's an alumna of the Kenyon Review Young Writer's Workshop the Iowa Young Writers' Studio. She's passionate about Judaism, poetry, film, satire, astrology, spirituality, and sexual health. She draws inspiration for her writing from writer/director Wes Anderson, and for her lifestyle from her grandmother. Lastly, she's always actively seeking two things: a job having anything at all to do with publishing, and a chance to meet Jesse Eisenberg.