Woman charged in Graceland foreclosure sale scheme
by: Deja Davis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Missouri woman faces federal charges after being arrested in connection to an alleged scheme to defraud Elvis Presley’s family of millions of dollars and steal the family’s ownership interest in Graceland, the historic home of Elvis Presley, according to reports.
Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, of Kimberling City, Missouri, is charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. She will face a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for mail fraud if she is convicted.
Findley was listed in the jail roster in Greene County, Missouri on Friday.
The U.S. Department of Justice says Findley was charged in a criminal complaint that was unsealed Friday after her arrest.
Findley pretended to be three different people affiliated with “Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC”, which happens to be a fake private lender, according to court documents.
She is accused of falsely claiming Elvis Presley’s daughter [Lisa Marie Presley] had borrowed $3.8 million in 2018 from the company and used Graceland as collateral for the loan, and failed to repay the debt. Findley sought $2.85 million from Elvis Presley’s family to settle the claim, reports state.
Findley allegedly used fake loan documents, forging a Florida State notary public and Lisa Presley’s signature before filing a false creditor’s claim with the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles. She then used a fake deed of trust with the Shelby County Register’s Office in Memphis, Tennessee where Graceland is located.
But Presley’s daughter Danielle Riley Keough says in a 60-page lawsuit against Naussany Investments, filed May 15 in Shelby County Chancery Court, that her mother never borrowed any money from the company.
On May 22, WREG reached out to the company through email regarding the Graceland foreclosure sale. A person responding to an email address for Kurt Naussany, whose name is listed several times in legal documents, said by email that he has “not been affiliated with Naussany Investments & Private Lending since 2015,” and directed further questions to an email with the name Gregory Naussany. He told WREG not to contact him.
The response says, “Due to the Deed of Trust not being recorded and the loan being obtained in different state, legal action would have to be filed in multiple states and NAUSSANY Investments & Private Lending will not acquire to proceed. That comes from consultation of the lawyers for the company. There was no harm meant on Ms. Keough for her mothers LMP mis habits and mis managing of money. The company will be withdrawing all claims with prejudice. Please do not contact as i have not been affiliated with Naussany Investments & Private Lending since 2015 nor does my company have any claims.”
Reports state that Findley submitted fake court filings after the lawsuit but later falsely claimed the person responsible for the scheme was a Nigerian identity thief located in Nigeria.
“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 M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “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. The Criminal Division and its partners are committed to holding fraudsters to account.”
Findley also goes by alias names such as Lisa Holden, Lisa Howell, Gregory Naussany, Kurt Naussany, Lisa Jeanine Sullins, and Carolyn Williams, according to the DOJ.
The news comes as Graceland marks its annual Elvis Week, commemorating the death of Elvis Presley on Aug. 16, 1977.
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