A Missouri woman was arrested and charged in connection to a plot to defraud Elvis Presley’s family out “of millions,” and attempting to “steal the family’s ownership interest,” according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The DOJ announced in a press release on Friday that Lisa Jeanine Findley had been charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft after she had “posed as three different individuals affiliated with a fictitious private lender” called “Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC.”
Findley allegedly claimed that the singer’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley had put Graceland up as collateral for a $3.8 million loan.
“As alleged in the complaint, the defendant orchestrated a scheme to conduct a fraudulent sale of Graceland, falsely claiming that Elvis Presley’s daughter had pledged the historic landmark as collateral for a loan that she failed to repay before her death, Nicole Argentieri, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General said in a statement.
Presley, who is known for songs such as “Always on My Mind,” and “Burning Love,” bought Graceland in 1957 for more than $100,000, according to Graceland’s website.
House guests at Graceland included family members and friends at various times – some in the mansion proper and some in residential accomodations elsewhere on the grounds. And although Elvis had various homes in the Los Angeles area and spent a great deal of time on the road with his concerts, Graceland was always home based – a constant in the life of Elvis Presley.
Court documents claim that Findley claimed that Presley’s daughter had “pledged Graceland as collateral” for the false million-dollar loan, and had “fabricated loan documents.”
“To settle the purported claim, Findley allegedly sought $2.85 million from Elvis Presley’s family,” according to court documents. “Findley allegedly fabricated loan documents on which Findley forged the signatures of Elvis Presley’s daughter and a Florida State notary public.”
According to court documents, Findley went on to allegedly “file a false creditor’s claim with the Superior Court of California” located in Los Angeles, filed a fraudulent deed of trust with Shelby County Register of Deeds in Memphis, and “published a fraudulent foreclosure notice,” in one of the newspapers for Memphis.
The fake foreclosure notice reportedly announced that Naussany Investments was going to auction Graceland, according to the DOJ’s press release.
“As a Memphian, I know that Graceland is a national treasure,” Kevin G. Ritz, a U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee said in a statement. “This defendant allegedly used a brazen scheme to try to defraud the Presley family of their interest in this singularly important landmark. Of course, all homeowners deserve to have their property protected from fraud, and the Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute anyone who commits financial crimes or identity theft.”
Findley will face a minimum prison sentence of two years for aggravated identity theft and a maximum prison sentence of 20 years for mail fraud, if she is convicted, according to the press release.
