A Missouri woman was arrested today on federal charges for allegedly attempting to defraud Elvis Presley’s family of millions of dollars and steal ownership of Graceland, the iconic former home of the late music legend
Prosecutors allege that Findley forged loan documents, including the signatures of Elvis Presley’s daughter and a Florida notary public. She then filed false claims in California and Tennessee courts and even published a fake foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper, announcing plans to auction Graceland.
[block_2]As alleged in the complaint, the defendant orchestrated a scheme to conduct a fraudulent sale of Graceland, falsely claiming that Elvis Presley’s daughter had pledged the historic landmark as collateral for a loan that she failed to repay before her death,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri.
U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee added, “This defendant allegedly used a brazen scheme to try to defraud the Presley family of their interest in this singularly important landmark.
[block_4]The scheme attracted global media attention, at which point Findley allegedly attempted to deflect blame by claiming a Nigerian identity thief was responsible.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI. If convicted, Findley faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft and a maximum of 20 years for mail fraud.
