RivCo Man Who Sold Stan Lee Memorabilia To Plead Guilty To Tax Fraud

RIVERSIDE, CA — A Riverside County man agreed to plead guilty to filing fraudulent income tax returns after he profited more than $1.2 million after selling signed Stan Lee memorabelia, federal officials said.

Mac Martin Anderson, a 59-year-old resident of Corona, agreed to admit guilt to two counts of willfully subscribing to a false tax return. The offense is a felony that carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison for each charge, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

From 2015 to 2018, Anderson reportedly shared a personal relationship with the Marvel publisher. During that time, he sold signed Marvel-items to various dealers, brokers and conventions, according to the statement.

Lee, who died at age 95 in 2018, was the creator behind beloved superheroes such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Black Panther and more.

Anderson received payments from buyers, typically in the form of cash or checks. Since these payments were considered regular income by the Internal Revenue Service, Anderson was legally obligated to report the payments on his income tax return each year.

From 2015 to 2018, income from the sold Marvel memorabilia totaled $289,460, $452,269, $414,166, and $80,590, respectively, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Anderson has admitted to making $1,236,485 in reportable income off of the sales. As part of his plea agreement, the Corona man will pay $482,833 in restitution to the IRS.