Woman charged with trying to defraud Elvis Presley's family through sale of Graceland

Source: Associated Press

Woman charged with trying to defraud Elvis Presley’s family through sale of Graceland

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and JONATHAN MATTISE
Updated 12:33 PM EDT, August 16, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Missouri woman has been arrested on charges she orchestrated a scheme to defraud Elvis Presley’s family by trying to auction off his Graceland mansion and property before a judge halted the mysterious foreclosure sale, the Justice Department said Friday.

Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, of Kimberling City, Missouri, falsely claimed Presley’s daughter borrowed $3.8 million from a bogus private lender and pledged Graceland as collateral for the loan. She fabricated loan documents, tried extort Presley’s family out of $2.85 million to settle the matter, and published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper announcing that Graceland would be auctioned off to the highest bidder, prosecutors said.

Graceland opened as a museum and tourist attraction in 1982 and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. A large Presley-themed entertainment complex across the street from the museum is owned by Elvis Presley Enterprises.

“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.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/graceland-elvis-presley-sale-fraudulent-d6431df76860570e5d31526e81974f7d