A Missouri woman with a history of minor frauds was arrested Friday morning on federal charges related to an alleged scheme to extort millions from Elvis Presley’s family and to steal their interest in his former home, Graceland, according to prosecutors.
Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, also known as Lisa Holden among other aliases, faces charges of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, detailed in a criminal complaint that became public on Friday.
Findley made her first court appearance later that afternoon before Magistrate Judge David Rush at the United States Courthouse in Springfield, Missouri. She was assigned a public defender for the brief seven-minute hearing.
During the proceedings, she waived her right to both a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing, agreeing to have those hearings held in the Western District of Tennessee, as the government moved for her detention. She is set to be transferred to that district and is currently in custody.
Prosecutors allege that Findley was behind a scheme intending to fraudulently sell Graceland. NBC News initially reported in June on Findley’s connections to this plot, highlighting her use of false identities, post office boxes, and various phone and fax numbers associated with the fraudulent activities.
Reports indicate that authorities executed a search warrant at Findley’s home in Kimberling City early Friday morning, resulting in a chaotic situation with approximately 15 officers present during her arrest. An attorney listed for Findley in court documents has not yet commented on the case. In a June interview at her residence, Findley denied any involvement in a Graceland scam. After that interview, online profiles connected to the plot were reportedly deleted.
The existence of the Graceland scheme was first revealed in May when a questionable company named Naussany Investments filed a court claim asserting that Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’ only daughter who passed away in January 2023, owed them millions in unpaid loans. When Presley’s family did not make a payment, Naussany Investments attempted to initiate a foreclosure sale of Graceland to recover their supposed debt. This case gained international attention but was dismissed by a Tennessee judge who determined that the company’s documents were likely forged. An email purporting to be from those involved in the scheme claimed that it was the work of Nigerian identity thieves.
NBC News linked Findley to the Graceland scheme in a June investigation that uncovered a fake Facebook profile related to the unauthorized foreclosure attempt along with various other fraudulent connections such as illegitimate emails, reviews, and contact details.
Rasheed Jeremy Carballo, a former acquaintance of Findley, testified before a grand jury about the scam, stating that she had shared plans to profit millions from a deal involving Lisa Marie Presley’s house.
The charging documents indicate that Findley created fraudulent loan documents by forging names, signatures, and notary seals. Additionally, investigators revealed that Findley had contacted the Shelby County Register’s Office regarding the fake Graceland deed and had used burner emails linked to her phone to submit foreclosure notices to a Memphis newspaper. Bank records revealed that the account designated for payments by Naussany Investments belonged to Findley herself.