By Kelly Were
A Missouri woman has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for orchestrating an audacious fraud scheme to seize Elvis Presley’s iconic Graceland mansion.
Lisa Jeanine Findley was sentenced to 57 months followed by three years of supervised release on 23rd September for a mail fraud conviction related to her attempt to force a foreclosure auction of the legendary property in Memphis.
The elaborate scheme, which unfolded between 2023 and 2024, involved Findley creating a fraudulent document that purported to show a $3.8 million loan was taken out against the Graceland estate, complete with forged signatures.
Using this fabricated deed of trust, she then filed paperwork to initiate a foreclosure process.
The plot was only uncovered and halted by a court injunction just as the auction was set to proceed in May 2024, saving the property from being illegally sold.
A prosecuting attorney involved in the case described it as “an audacious attempt to steal a priceless piece of American cultural history through brazen forgery.”
While the Presley family did not suffer any direct financial loss from the failed scheme, the emotional toll was significant. A representative for the family stated, “While no financial loss occurred, the emotional distress caused to the Presley family is immeasurable.”
The case exposed how determined fraudsters can exploit administrative loopholes in property recording systems to target high-value assets.
Findley’s defence counsel argued that their client “acted out of a misguided desperation, not criminal mastermind,” but the court’s substantial sentence reflects the seriousness of the premeditated crime.
The sentencing brings a close to a bizarre chapter that threatened one of America’s most beloved cultural landmarks, serving as a warning to others who might attempt similar celebrity estate scams.
