MEMPHIS – OCTOBER 3: Graceland, home of the late Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee, on October 3, 2016. (Photo by Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A Missouri woman has been arrested on suspicion of plotting a fraudulent sale of Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate in Memphis, the Justice Department said Friday.
Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, of Kimberling City, Missouri, is accused of stealing the Presley family’s ownership interest in Graceland, prosecutors said, falsely claiming that Presley’s daughter had pledged the property as collateral for a loan she defaulted on before her death.
“As part of the brazen scheme, we allege that the defendant created numerous false documents and attempted to extort a settlement from the Presley family,” said Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, chief of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
According to court documents, Findley allegedly posed as three different people associated with a fake private lender called Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC (Naussany Investments).
Findley claimed Lisa Marie Presley borrowed $3.8 million through the company in 2018 and forged loan documents with two fake signatures, officials said.
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Foreclosure of Graceland?
The future of Elvis Presley’s legendary Graceland estate may be in jeopardy. An investment firm filed court documents alleging that Elvis’ daughter borrowed millions.
After the alleged forgery, investigators say, Findley filed a creditor’s claim with the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles and executed a deed of trust with the Shelby County Register Office in Memphis. She then allegedly published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in one of Memphis’ daily newspapers announcing the planned auction of the property in May.
When Elvis’ granddaughter, actress Riley Keough, filed suit, a judge stopped the foreclosure of the popular Memphis tourist attraction on the grounds that Elvis Presley’s heirs could succeed in their argument that a company’s attempt to auction Graceland was fraudulent.
As the plot gained national attention, officials say Findley wrote to representatives of Elvis Presley’s family, the Tennessee state court and the media, claiming that an identity thief living in Nigeria was behind the plot.
MORE: Graceland faces foreclosure as Elvis’ granddaughter tries to stop auction
“Fame and money attract criminals who seek to capitalize on another person’s celebrity status,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group. “In this case, Ms. Findley allegedly took advantage of the very public and tragic events in the Presley family to exploit the name and financial status of the heirs to the Graceland estate and attempt to steal what rightfully belongs to the Presley family for her own personal gain. Postal inspectors and their law enforcement partners put a stop to her alleged plot and protected the Presley family from further harm and stress. This is an example of our tireless investigative work and commitment to bringing criminals to justice for their illegal activities.”
Findley is charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, she faces a minimum sentence of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for mail fraud.
Graceland opened in 1982 as a museum and tourist attraction in honor of Elvis Presley, the singer and actor who died in August 1977 at the age of 42. It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
