A Missouri woman will serve more than four years in federal prison for plotting to defraud Elvis Presley’s family by attempting to sell his Graceland estate in a sham foreclosure.
U.S. District Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr. sentenced Lisa Jeanine Findley, 54, of Kimberling City, to four years and nine months in prison plus three years of probation. She declined to speak at her sentencing.
Findley pleaded guilty in February to mail fraud. A separate charge of aggravated identity theft was dropped as part of a plea deal.
The scheme to sell Graceland
Prosecutors said Findley falsely claimed Lisa Marie Presley borrowed $3.8 million from a fake lender and pledged Graceland as collateral before her death in January 2023.
She then demanded a $2.85 million settlement from Presley’s family and threatened to auction Graceland if they refused.
Authorities say Findley:
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Posed as three different people connected to the bogus lender
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Forged loan documents
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Published a fake foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper
The auction, scheduled for May 2024, was stopped after Presley’s granddaughter, Riley Keough, sued.
Why the scheme failed
Experts quickly flagged the documents as fraudulent. A notary whose name appeared on the records testified she had never met Lisa Marie Presley nor notarized anything for her.
The judge ruled the foreclosure attempt fraudulent, calling the plan a “highly sophisticated scheme to defraud.”
A statement from the bogus lender, Naussany Investments and Private Lending, later claimed the foreclosure could not proceed due to jurisdiction issues.
After the plan unraveled, prosecutors said Findley tried to blame the scam on a Nigerian fraud ring by sending an email to the Associated Press.
Graceland’s legacy
Graceland, opened as a museum in 1982, draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The 13-acre Memphis estate is run by Promenade Trust, now controlled by Riley Keough after her mother Lisa Marie’s death.
Judge Fowlkes rejected the defense’s argument for a shorter sentence, saying:
“It would have been a travesty of justice if the sale had been completed.”
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