In a bizarre twist on the already storied and strange history of Elvis Presley‘s Graceland, Lisa Jeanine Findley was arrested on Aug. 16, 2024, for reportedly trying to “steal” the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s former home.
No, the 53-year-old Missouri woman did not intend to spirit the structure away in the night brick by brick, but rather, Findley is accused of concocting a fraudulent scheme to claim ownership over the property. According to The New York Times, Findley falsely claimed that Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’ daughter, had offered the historic home where Elvis died in 1977 as collateral on a loan that Lisa Marie never repaid. Lisa Marie died about a year before Findley’s plot was uncovered.
Graceland’s chain of ownership
When Lisa Marie died, Graceland ownership fell to The Elvis Presley Trust, with a single trustee, actress Riley Keough, Lisa Marie’s eldest daughter, and Elvis’ granddaughter. Months before Findley’s arrest was announced, Keough had already gone to court to stop what her legal team called a “fraudulent sale” of the landmark and tourist attraction to Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC if the phony $3.8 million loan was not repaid, a fake company Findley created.
A Tennessee court blocked the sale as the case was turned over to federal authorities. Details were scarce about what was going on with the scam until Findley, who had been a suspect for some time, was arrested and charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. While using several fake names, Findley allegedly forged Nasussany Investments documents, Lisa Marie’s signature on a deed of trust, and other bank records related to the case.
Findley tried to blame Nigerian identity thieves
As investigators built their case, Findley allegedly sent an email to NBC News posing as Gregory Naussany, claiming he was part of a Nigerian ring of identity thieves. Findley reportedly has a criminal record involving romance scams, forged checks, and bank fraud. At this writing, Findley had not yet entered a plea, and it was unclear if she had a lawyer. Riley Keough had also not publicly commented on the matter.
“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,” Inspector in charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group Eric Chen said, referring to the case. If convicted, Findley could spend up to 20 years in prison.
Published: Aug 19, 2024 06:00 pm