Missouri woman arrested and charged with attempting to sell Elvis Presley’s Graceland

• On Friday, a Missouri woman was charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with an alleged scheme to sell Graceland.
• The Office of Public Affairs alleges that the woman, Lisa Jeanine Findley, uses several aliases associated with the private lending company that attempted to sell the famous property in a foreclosure auction earlier this year.
• Findley was accused of attempting to defraud the Presley family and steal their ownership interest in Graceland

A Missouri woman has been arrested and charged with allegedly attempting to fraudulently sell Elvis Presley’s Graceland home.

On Friday, August 16, the Office of Public Affairs announced in a press release that Lisa Jeanine Findley – also known as Lisa Holden, Lisa Howell, Gregory Naussany, Kurt Naussany, Lisa Jeanine Sullins and Carolyn Williams – 53, of Kimberling City, Missouri, has been indicted in federal court for an alleged scheme to defraud the Presley family and steal their ownership interest in the famous Memphis estate.

According to Nicole M. Argentieri, assistant attorney general and chief of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Findley was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed after her arrest with “conspiring to fraudulently dispose of Graceland” and falsely claiming that Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, “had pledged the historic landmark as collateral for a loan that she was unable to repay before her death.”

“As part of the brazen scheme, we allege that the defendant created numerous false documents and attempted to extort compensation from the Presley family,” Argentieri added in a statement. “Now she faces indictment in federal court. The Criminal Division and its partners are determined to hold fraudsters accountable.”

U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz recognized Presley’s Graceland home as a “national treasure” and said in a statement: “The Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute anyone who commits financial crimes or identity theft.”

Findley was charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, she faces a minimum sentence of two years in prison for the second count and a maximum sentence of 20 years for the first count. Her initial appearance in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri is scheduled for Friday.

In May, Riley Keough, Presley’s granddaughter and heiress to Graceland, denounced the foreclosure of her late grandfather’s famous estate in a 60-page lawsuit, calling it “fraudulent.”

According to court documents previously obtained by PEOPLE, Under the bridge The actress attempted to block a company called Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC, which was allegedly linked to Findley, from selling Presley’s Memphis estate at a foreclosure auction scheduled for the same week.

In her filing, Keough claimed that Findley’s alleged company may not even be “a real entity.” Meanwhile, the Office of Public Affairs alleged that the Missouri woman “impersonated three different individuals” associated with the “fictitious private lender” to falsely accuse the late Lisa Marie of borrowing $3.8 million from Naussany Investments in 2018 and pledging Graceland as collateral for the loan, which was allegedly not repaid.

“To settle the alleged claim, Findley allegedly demanded $2.85 million from Elvis Presley’s family,” officials alleged. “Findley allegedly forged loan documents on which he forged the signatures of Elvis Presley’s daughter and a Florida State notary public. Findley then allegedly filed a false creditor’s claim in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles and a forged trust deed in the Shelby County Register’s Office in Memphis.”

The Office of Public Affairs also alleged that Findley “allegedly published a fraudulent foreclosure notice” in the local Memphis newspaper, The Commercial Appeal, to announce that Naussany Investments planned to auction Graceland to the “highest bidder” on May 23. A Tennessee judge ultimately blocked the sale just hours after Findley’s alleged company dropped all claims to the property.

When Naussany Investments was sued in Tennessee state court to stop the sale of Graceland, officials say Findley “filed false court documents.” They also claim that after the plot made headlines around the world, the Missouri native “wrote to representatives of Elvis Presley’s family, the Tennessee state court and the media, falsely claiming that the person responsible for the plot was a Nigerian identity thief based in Nigeria.”

“Fame and money attract criminals who seek to capitalize on another person’s celebrity status,” Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group said in a statement. “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 an end to their alleged plot and protected the Presley family from further harm and stress,” Shen continued in her statement. “This is an example of our tireless investigative work and commitment to bringing criminals to justice for their illegal activities.”

In a statement on Findley’s allegations, Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI’s Memphis field office said Friday’s announcement “demonstrates our comprehensive approach to investigating allegations of identity theft and mail fraud that can affect people from all walks of life.”

He added: “We will continue to vigorously pursue cases against individuals in the United States and abroad who steal identities and commit fraud for personal gain.”

Findley’s case is currently being investigated by USPIS and the FBI Memphis Field Office with “significant assistance” from the FBI Kansas City Field Office.