Memphis, Sept 24(HS): A Missouri woman has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for orchestrating an elaborate scheme to fraudulently claim ownership of Graceland, the iconic Memphis estate of rock legend Elvis Presley.Lisa Jeanine Findley, 54, pleaded guilty to mail fraud after prosecutors detailed her attempt to fabricate a loan against the 120-acre property, using forged documents and the falsified signature of Elvis’s late daughter, Lisa Marie P respect.
Authorities said she created a bogus company, Naussany Investments, to assert a false $3.8 million loan against Graceland and later threatened foreclosure unless the Presley family settled for $2.85 million.A Wild Scheme ExposedJudge presiding over the case described the plot as both wild and highly sophisticated. Prosecutors said Findley filed fake creditor claims in California, submitted false loan papers in Tennessee, and even published a foreclosure sale notice in a local newspaper.
Graceland, declared a US National Historic Landmark and a cornerstone of American popular culture, attracts around half a million visitors annually. It passed into the hands of actress Riley Keough, Elvis’s granddaughter, following Lisa Marie Presley’s death in 2023.When the fraudulent foreclosure attempt surfaced in 2024, Keough took legal action to block the sale, with authorities later confirming no such loan existed.
According to investigators, Findley initially tried to deflect blame by telling Keough’s attorneys that a Nigerian fraudster was responsible. Federal agents arrested her in August 2024, and she admitted to orchestrating the fraud earlier this year.Elvis Presley Enterprises, which manages the estate, welcomed the sentencing, describing the attempted theft as a dangerous assault on Presley’s legacy.Findley received her sentence of more than four years in prison after acknowledging her actions and expressing remorse in court.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
