:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Tammy-Faye-musical-EW-7-111124-ecb6870926a74689a50cdb0fc074828b.jpg "Elton John tunes can’t save this middling musical")
A Missouri woman was arrested Friday, August 16, in connection with an alleged scheme to auction off Elvis Presley’s Graceland property, as well as defraud the family of millions of dollars.
Per the U.S. Department of Justice, Lisa Jeanine Findley — who also goes by a variety of aliases, which she utilized in her scheme — was charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, allegations which are being brought against her in court. The 53-year-old is accused of ringleading a bizarre and elaborate plot to extort the Presley estate and defraud the family of its ownership of the historic Memphis landmark.
Filing in court under the guise of a fake private lending company, Naussany Investments, Findley allegedly claimed that Elvis’ daughter, Lisa Marie Presley — who died in January 2023 — borrowed $3.8 million in 2018 and used Graceland as collateral for the loan, which she failed to pay back.
Seeking $2.85 million from Presley’s family to settle the debt, Findley then published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper announcing the auction of Graceland in May.
When Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough, who inherited ownership of the family trust and Graceland following her mother’s death, sued the lending company in response, a judge put a stop to the sale. An investigation into the matter was launched by the Tennessee attorney general’s office, which was transferred to a federal level in June.
Per the Justice Department’s report, Findley, amid a flurry of headlines regarding the foreclosure attempt, allegedly tried to convince Presley’s family, the Tennessee state court, and the media that the person responsible for the scheme was actually an identity thief located in Nigeria.
“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 Criminal Investigations Group, in a statement. “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.”
“As a Memphian, I know that Graceland is a national treasure,” said U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee. “This defendant allegedly used a brazen scheme to try to defraud the Presley family of their interest in this singularly important landmark.”
Findley faces a minimum of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for mail fraud if she is convicted.
