Latest news with #NaussanyInvestmentsandPrivateLending
Sky News
26-02-2025
- Sky News
Woman admits trying to defraud Elvis Presley's family by auctioning off Graceland
A woman has admitted attempting to defraud Elvis Presley's family by trying to auction off his Graceland mansion and property before a judge halted the mysterious foreclosure sale. Lisa Jeanine Findley had initially denied charges of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft in relation to the scheme but has now changed her plea in the two-count indictment. Prosecutors had said Findley, of Kimberling City, Missouri, falsely claimed Presley's daughter Lisa Marie had borrowed $3.8m (£3m) from a bogus private lender and had pledged Graceland as collateral for the loan before her death in January 2023. Findley then threatened to sell Graceland to the highest bidder if Presley's family did not pay a $2.85m (£2.25m) settlement, according to authorities. She posed as three different people allegedly involved with the fake lender, fabricated loan documents and published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper announcing the auction of Graceland in May 2024, prosecutors said. A judge stopped the sale after Presley's granddaughter and Lisa Marie's daughter, actress Riley Keough, sued. Experts were baffled by the attempt to sell off one of the most famous pieces of property in the country using names, emails and documents that were quickly suspected to be fake. 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. Presley, known as the King of Rock and Roll, died in August 1977 at the age of 42 Keough, who inherited the trust and ownership of the home after the death of her mother, filed a lawsuit claiming fraud against Findley and a judge halted the proposed auction with an injunction. Naussany Investments and Private Lending - the bogus lender authorities say Findley created - said Lisa Marie Presley had used Graceland as collateral for the loan, according to the foreclosure sale notice. The judge said Elvis Presley's estate could be successful in arguing that a company's attempt to auction Graceland was fraudulent. Ms Keough's lawsuit alleged that Naussany presented fraudulent documents regarding the loan in September 2023 and that Ms Presley never borrowed money from Naussany. After the scheme fell apart, Findley tried to make it look like the person responsible was a Nigerian identity thief, prosecutors said. An email sent on 25 May 2024 to the Associated Press from the same email as the earlier statement said in Spanish that the foreclosure sale attempt was made by a Nigerian fraud ring that targets old and dead people in the US and uses the internet to steal money. In a statement, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti called the scheme "nonsense" and praised the work of federal authorities. "Graceland matters so much to so many people around the world - just go to Memphis during Elvis Week and listen to all the different accents and languages of fans who make the pilgrimage," Mr Skrmetti said. "All of Tennessee is glad that Graceland remains safely in the possession of Elvis's heir and that it will remain a celebrated Memphis landmark for generations to come." Findley will be sentenced on 18 June and would have faced up to 20 years if convicted, but she is expected to receive less than that under the plea deal.
CBS News
25-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Missouri woman to plead guilty in brazen plot to sell Graceland
A Missouri woman said Tuesday she is pleading guilty to a federal charge accusing her of concocting a brazen plot to defraud Elvis Presley's family by trying to auction off his Graceland mansion and property before a judge halted the mysterious foreclosure sale. During a change of plea hearing, Lisa Jeanine Findley told a federal judge in Memphis that she will plead guilty to a charge of mail fraud related to the scheme. She previously pleaded not guilty to the two-count indictment, which also includes a count of aggravated identity theft. Findley posed as three different people allegedly involved with the fake lender, fabricated loan documents, and published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper announcing the auction of Graceland in May 2024, prosecutors said. A judge stopped the sale after Presley's granddaughter Riley Keough sued. Findley will be sentenced at a later date. Experts were baffled by the attempt to sell off one of the most storied pieces of real estate in the country using names, emails and documents that were quickly suspected to be phony. Findley, of Kimberling City, falsely claimed Presley's daughter Lisa Marie Presley borrowed $3.8 million from a bogus private lender and had pledged Graceland as collateral for the loan before her death in January 2023, prosecutors alleged when she was charged in August 2024. She then threatened to sell Graceland to the highest bidder if Presley's family didn't pay a $2.85 million settlement, according to authorities. In May, a public notice for a foreclosure sale of the 13-acre estate said Promenade Trust, which controls the Graceland museum, owes $3.8 million after failing to repay a 2018 loan. Keough inherited the trust and ownership of the home after the death of her mother. Keough filed a lawsuit claiming fraud, and a judge halted the proposed auction with an injunction. Naussany Investments and Private Lending — the bogus lender authorities say Findley created — said Lisa Marie Presley had used Graceland as collateral for the loan, according to the foreclosure sale notice. Keough's lawsuit alleged that Naussany presented fraudulent documents regarding the loan in September 2023 and that Lisa Marie Presley never borrowed money from Naussany. Kimberly Philbrick, the notary whose name is listed on Naussany's documents, indicated she never met Lisa Marie Presley nor notarized any documents for her, according to the estate's lawsuit. The judge said the notary's affidavit brings into question "the authenticity of the signature." The judge halted the foreclosure sale of the beloved Memphis tourist attraction, saying Elvis Presley's estate could be successful in arguing that a company's attempt to auction Graceland was fraudulent. After the scheme fell apart, Findley tried to make it look like the person responsible was a Nigerian identity thief, prosecutors said. An email sent May 25 to the AP from the same email as the earlier statement said in Spanish that the foreclosure sale attempt was made by a Nigerian fraud ring that targets old and dead people in the U.S. and uses the internet to steal money. The Tennessee attorney general's office had been investigating the Graceland controversy, then confirmed in June that it handed the probe over to federal authorities. A statement emailed to The Associated Press after the judge stopped the sale said Naussany would not proceed because a key document in the case and the loan were recorded and obtained in a different state, meaning "legal action would have to be filed in multiple states." The statement, sent from an email address listed in court documents, did not specify the other state. Elvis bought Graceland in 1957 and died there in 1977 and about five years later the mansion was opened to the public as a museum and tourist attraction. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit the 17,552-square-foot mansion each year, which was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Visitors can then stop at the large Presley-themed entertainment complex across the street. Elvis and other members of the Presley family, including Lisa Marie Presley and her son Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in 2020, are buried on the mansion's grounds. Keough, who starred in the television series hit "Daisy Jones and the Six," said in a 2024 interview with CBS News that she plans to continue running the beloved property and keep the mansion in the family. Keough and her husband Ben Smith-Peterson have a daughter, Tupelo, who is Elvis' first great-grandchild.
