A woman has been charged over allegedly attempting to auction off Elvis Presley’s house Graceland, trying to defraud his family out of millions of dollars.
Lisa Jeanine Findley, aged 53, was arrested and charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.
She had allegedly tried to claim ownership of the family home, saying that Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley had previously borrowed $3.8 million from a fake lender in 2018.
Findley had created false loan documents that showed Lisa Marie using Graceland as collateral in the loan that was never paid back.
Findley threatened to auction off the Graceland home if the family did nor pay her a $2.85 million settlement.
Prosecutors say that the 53-year-old published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper and posed as three different people allegedly involved with the fake lender.
Luckily, a judge was able to block the auction before it could take place after Riley Keough, Presley’s granddaughter, filed a lawsuit about the fraudulent scheme.
Eric Shen, from the US Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group, alleged that Findley “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.”
Findley has appeared in court in Springfield, Missouri and if convicted could face up to 20 years in prison.
Presley’s Graceland home opened as a museum in 1982, to pay tribute to the iconic musician after his death in 1977. Presley had purchased thge estate back in 1957 and lived there for 20 years until his death.
