Woman charged in scheme to defraud Elvis Presley’s family and sell Graceland estate
MEMPHIS - OCTOBER 03: 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 charges alleging she orchestrated a scheme to conduct a fraudulent sale of Elvis Presley’s Graceland property in Memphis, the Justice Department announced Friday.
Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, of Kimberling City, Missouri is accused of scheming to steal the Presley family’s ownership interest in Graceland, prosecutors said, falsely claiming that Presley’s daughter pledged the property as collateral for a loan she failed to pay before her death.
"As part of the brazen scheme, we allege that the defendant created numerous false documents and sought to extort a settlement from the Presley family," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
According to court documents, Findley allegedly posed as three different people connected with a fake private lender named Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC (Naussany Investments).
Using the company, Findley claimed that Lisa Marie Presley had borrowed $3.8 million in 2018 and fabricated loan documents with two forged signatures, officials said.
RELATED: Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley, dies after suffering apparent cardiac arrest
After the alleged forgery, investigators say Findley filed a creditor’s claim with the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles, and a deed of trust with the Shelby County Register’s Office in Memphis. She then allegedly published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in one of Memphis’s daily newspapers that announced the plan to auction off the estate in May.
When Elvis' granddaughter, actor Riley Keough, filed a lawsuit, a judge agreed to stop the foreclosure sale of the beloved Memphis tourist attraction, saying Elvis Presley’s estate could be successful in arguing that a company’s attempt to auction Graceland was fraudulent.
When the scheme got national attention, officials say Findley wrote to representatives of Elvis Presley’s family, the Tennessee state court, and media outlets claiming that the person responsible for the scheme was an identity thief who lived in Nigeria.
MORE: Graceland faces foreclosure battle as Elvis' granddaughter fights to halt auction
"Fame and money are magnets for criminals who look to capitalize on another person’s celebrity status," said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group. "In this case, Ms. Findley allegedly took advantage of the very public and tragic occurrences in the Presley family as an opportunity to prey on the name and financial status of the heirs to the Graceland estate, attempting to steal what rightfully belongs to the Presley family for her personal gain. Postal Inspectors and their law enforcement partners put an end to her alleged scheme, protecting the Presley family from continued harm and stress. This is an example of our relentless investigative work and commitment to bringing criminals to justice for their illegal activity."
Findley is charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. She faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for mail fraud if convicted.
Graceland opened as a museum and tourist attraction in 1982 as a tribute to Elvis Presley, the singer and actor who died in August 1977 at age 42. It draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.