Missouri woman charged in scheme to defraud Elvis Presley's family of Graceland

A Missouri woman was arrested Friday on federal charges connected to an alleged scheme to defraud Elvis Presley's family of millions and steal the family's ownership interest in Graceland , the former home-turned-tourist-attraction of the iconic singer in Memphis.

Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, of Kimberling City, was expected to make her first appearance Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

She was charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

If convicted, she faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft and up to 20 years in prison for mail fraud.

“As a Memphian, I know that Graceland is a national treasure,” said U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee, in a Friday news release. “This defendant allegedly used a brazen scheme to try to defraud the Presley family of their interest in this singularly important landmark. Of course, all homeowners deserve to have their property protected from fraud, and the Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute anyone who commits financial crimes or identity theft.”

The charges were announced Friday on the 47th anniversary of Elvis' death. He died Aug. 16, 1977.

According to court records, Findley is also known as Lisa Holden, Lisa Howell, Gregory Naussany, Kurt Naussany, Lisa Jeanine Sullins and Carolyn Williams.

“As alleged in the complaint, the defendant orchestrated a scheme to conduct a fraudulent sale of Graceland, falsely claiming that Elvis Presley’s daughter had pledged the historic landmark as collateral for a loan that she failed to repay before her death,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, in the release.

“As part of the brazen scheme, we allege that the defendant created numerous false documents and sought to extort a settlement from the Presley family. Now she is facing federal charges.”

According to court documents, Findley allegedly posed as three different individuals affiliated with a fictitious private lender named Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC. Here are the allegations:

• Findley claimed falsely that Elvis Presley’s daughter had borrowed $3.8 million in 2018 from Naussany Investments, pledged Graceland as collateral for the loan, and failed to repay the debt;
• To settle the purported claim, Findley allegedly sought $2.85 million from Elvis Presley’s family;
• Findley fabricated loan documents on which Findley forged the signatures of Elvis Presley’s daughter and a Florida State notary public;
• Findley then filed a false creditor’s claim with the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles, and a fake deed of trust with the Shelby County Register’s Office in Memphis;
• Findley also allegedly published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in The Commercial Appeal, one of Memphis’s daily newspapers, announcing that Naussany Investments planned to auction Graceland to the highest bidder on May 23;
• Finally, when Naussany Investments was sued by Elvis Presley’s family in Tennessee state court as part of an effort to stop the sale of Graceland, Findley submitted false court filings.

After the scheme attracted global media attention, Findley allegedly wrote to representatives of Elvis Presley’s family, the Tennessee state court, and the media to claim falsely that the person responsible for the scheme was an identity thief located in Nigeria.

More: At Nixa event, Priscilla Presley sought to 'set the record straight' about life with Elvis

“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 the release.

“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.”

USPIS and the FBI Memphis Field Office are investigating the case with significant assistance from the FBI Kansas City Field Office.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri woman charged in scheme to defraud Elvis Presley's family of Graceland