A Missouri woman was arrested this morning in connection with a scheme to steal the ownership of Graceland, the former home of Elvis Presley located in Memphis.
Lisa Jeanine Findley – whose multiple aliases include Lisa Holden, Lisa Howell, Gregory Naussany, Kurt Naussany, Lisa Jeanine Sullins, and Carolyn Williams – 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 a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for mail fraud.
According to court documents, Findley allegedly posed as three different individuals affiliated with a fictitious private lender named Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC and claimed Presley’s daughter, the late Lisa-Marie Presley, borrowed $3.8 million in 2018 from Naussany Investments while pledging Graceland as collateral for the loan. After insisting that Presley failed to repay the debt, Findley allegedly fabricated loan documents with forged signatures for Lisa-Marie Presley and a Florida State notary public.
Findley then allegedly 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, a Memphis newspaper, announcing that Naussany Investments planned to auction Graceland to the highest bidder on May 23.
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 allegedly submitted false court filings. But after the scheme attracted global media attention and a judge blocked the auction, Findley allegedly wrote to representatives of the Presley family, the Tennessee state court, and the media to claim falsely that a Nigerian identity thief was responsible for the scheme.
“As a Memphian, I know that Graceland is a national treasure,” said U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee. “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 announcement of Findley’s arrest comes today, which is the anniversary of Presley’s 1977 death at Graceland. Presley the 13.8-acre property in 1957 and died at the estate in 1977; he is buried on its grounds, along with his parents, grandmother, daughter and grandson. Graceland welcomes approximately 600,000 visitors each year, and it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 and was named a National Historic Landmark in 2006.
Photo: Joseph Novak / Flickr Creative Commons
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Had this been pulled on an average citizen, the perp could have fled with the money while real owners fight for control with whoever bought the note, at great expense. It is probably is done all over the country. Get title insurance folks.