Missouri Woman Pleads Guilty In Elaborate Scheme To Sell Elvis Presley’s Graceland
A Missouri woman admitted in federal court to a scheme aimed at selling Graceland, Elvis Presley’s iconic Memphis estate, by fabricating loan documents and staging a fraudulent foreclosure. Lisa Jeanine Findley, of Kimberling City, entered a guilty plea to mail fraud charges on Tuesday, bringing an end to a bizarre case that nearly put one of the nation’s most famous landmarks on the auction block.
Findley was accused of orchestrating a false foreclosure sale by claiming that Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, had borrowed $3.8 million from a fake private lender. Prosecutors said Findley used this fabricated loan as leverage, threatening to auction Graceland unless the Presley estate paid her a $2.85 million settlement.
Court records reveal that Findley posed as multiple individuals connected to the phony lender, created fraudulent loan documents, and even published a notice in a Memphis newspaper advertising the supposed foreclosure sale. The ruse unraveled when Lisa Marie Presley’s daughter, actress Riley Keough, filed a lawsuit, leading a judge to block the auction and question the legitimacy of the paperwork.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti praised federal investigators for stopping the scheme, calling Graceland a “celebrated Memphis landmark” and noting its significance to fans worldwide. He emphasized that the estate remains under rightful ownership, protected from fraudulent attempts to seize it.
Findley initially pleaded not guilty to two charges, including aggravated identity theft, but prosecutors agreed to drop that count as part of the plea deal. She now faces sentencing on June 18, with a potential sentence of up to 20 years, though she is expected to receive less time under the agreement.
Graceland, purchased by Elvis Presley in 1957, has been a major tourist attraction since opening to the public in 1982. The estate remains under the control of Keough, who inherited it after her mother’s passing in 2023.
