By Chris Robertson, news reporter
Prosecutors in Los Angeles are to charge Stan Lee's former manager with elder abuse, false imprisonment and grand theft all against the late Marvel comics co-creator.
Keya Morgan, was detained in Arizona on Saturday after a warrant for his arrest was issued earlier in the month, and appeared in court.
He is expected to be extradited to Los Angeles, where formal charges will be filed against him.
Earlier in the month, a Los Angeles Superior Court spokeswoman said Morgan faced five charges, including false imprisonment, fraud and forgery.
If he is convicted on all five charges, he could face up to a decade behind bars.
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Morgan's lawyer, Antonio Castillo III, told Sky News he believes the charges are "baseless and without merit", saying they are a result of a "smear campaign" against Morgan.
He added: "There is no independent basis for these charges other than Stan Lee's daughter and her cohorts.
More from Stan Lee
"When Stan Lee was alive, he always defended Keya from these rumours started by his daughter and her minions, always. He expressed his fondness for him, and spoke about the many projects they had together and the deep trust he had for Mr Morgan.
"But now that Stan is dead and can no longer defend Mr. Morgan, these people feel enormously empowered and have gotten dangerously reckless in their efforts to destroy Keya.
"As a result of their reckless lies, Keya is currently being held with no bail in Arizona awaiting extradition to California."
Mr Castillo also said that "Mr Morgan should never have been arrested in Arizona", because there was a surrender agreement in place in Los Angeles set for Tuesday.
Morgan will "vigorously" fight the charges, with Mr Castillo saying: "Keya Morgan not only isn't guilty, but never wronged Stan Lee in any way and in fact protected him from the real vultures and leeches that were trying to steal the fruits of his labour."
By Chris Robertson, news reporter
Prosecutors in Los Angeles are to charge Stan Lee's former manager with elder abuse, false imprisonment and grand theft all against the late Marvel comics co-creator.
Keya Morgan, was detained in Arizona on Saturday after a warrant for his arrest was issued earlier in the month, and appeared in court.
He is expected to be extradited to Los Angeles, where formal charges will be filed against him.
Earlier in the month, a Los Angeles Superior Court spokeswoman said Morgan faced five charges, including false imprisonment, fraud and forgery.
If he is convicted on all five charges, he could face up to a decade behind bars.
Advertisement
Morgan's lawyer, Antonio Castillo III, told Sky News he believes the charges are "baseless and without merit", saying they are a result of a "smear campaign" against Morgan.
He added: "There is no independent basis for these charges other than Stan Lee's daughter and her cohorts.
More from Stan Lee
"When Stan Lee was alive, he always defended Keya from these rumours started by his daughter and her minions, always. He expressed his fondness for him, and spoke about the many projects they had together and the deep trust he had for Mr Morgan.
"But now that Stan is dead and can no longer defend Mr. Morgan, these people feel enormously empowered and have gotten dangerously reckless in their efforts to destroy Keya.
"As a result of their reckless lies, Keya is currently being held with no bail in Arizona awaiting extradition to California."
Mr Castillo also said that "Mr Morgan should never have been arrested in Arizona", because there was a surrender agreement in place in Los Angeles set for Tuesday.
Morgan will "vigorously" fight the charges, with Mr Castillo saying: "Keya Morgan not only isn't guilty, but never wronged Stan Lee in any way and in fact protected him from the real vultures and leeches that were trying to steal the fruits of his labour."
