Graceland Scheme Exposed

Federal authorities yesterday arrested a 53-year-old Missouri woman for allegedly orchestrating a scheme to defraud Elvis Presley's family and steal ownership of the rock 'n' roll legend's Graceland estate in Memphis.

Lisa Jeanine Findley faces charges of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. The US Justice Department alleges Findley falsely claimed Elvis' daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, had used Graceland as collateral for a $3.8M loan from a fictitious private lender, Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC, and never repaid it before her death. Findley sought $2.8M from the Presley family to settle the fabricated debt and posted a fraudulent foreclosure notice, claiming Graceland would be auctioned. A judge later halted the foreclosure after Elvis' granddaughter, Danielle Riley Keough, sued. 

Graceland is the second most visited private home in the US, with over 600,000 visitors annually. The 17,000-square-foot mansion was home to Elvis from 1957 until his death in 1977 (see overview). A 2020 estimate places the value of the 14-acre property—purchased in 1957 for $102,500—upward of $400M.