The Justice Department on Friday said that a Missouri woman has been arrested for plotting to defraud the family of Elvis Presley by attempting to auction off the late singer's Graceland mansion in Memphis.
Lisa Jeanine Findley stands accused of fraudulently claiming that Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, borrowed $3.8 million from fabricated investor Naussany Investments, failed to pay back the loan and promised the estate as collateral. The attempt led Elvis' granddaughter, Riley Keough, to sue in an effort to halt the sale. Keough, the trustee of the Presley estate, refuted the bogus company's claim and stated in court that it seemed to be a non-existent entity, with no phone number or address on record.
The Associated Press reported that Findley posed under three different aliases involved with Naussany in an attempt to carry out the scheme. She also fabricated loan documents and even published a fake foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper claiming that Graceland would be sold to the highest bidder.
“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,” said Eric Shen, inspector in charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group.
As noted by the AP, Friday also marks the 47th anniversary of Elvis' death in 1977 at the age of 42.
