Missouri Woman Sentenced for Attempted Graceland Fraud
Lisa Jeanine Findley received over four years in federal prison for felony mail fraud, attempting to defraud Elvis Presley's family and sell Graceland.
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Overview
- Lisa Jeanine Findley from Missouri was sentenced to over four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to felony mail fraud.
- Findley's scheme involved falsely claiming Lisa Marie Presley borrowed $3.8 million from a bogus lender, pledging Graceland as collateral.
- She threatened to sell Graceland unless the Presley family settled a $2.85 million claim, leading to her arrest in August 2024.
- Riley Keough, Elvis Presley's granddaughter and Graceland's inheritor, filed a lawsuit that successfully halted the attempted auction of the property.
- Graceland, a popular museum since 1982, was the target of this fraud attempt, which resulted in Findley's significant prison sentence.
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Analysis
Center-leaning sources cover this story neutrally by adhering to factual reporting of legal proceedings and court findings. They detail the charges, sentencing, and the fraudulent nature of the scheme using precise, objective language. The coverage prioritizes official documents and legal actions, presenting a clear, unbiased account of the events without editorializing.
"A Missouri woman has been sentenced for her role in a scheme to defraud Elvis Presley's family of millions of dollars and sell the Graceland estate in Memphis."
USA TODAY"The 57-month prison term, plus three years of probation, imposed by a federal judge in Memphis marked the final notes of a madcap plot born two years ago in a small city in Missouri’s Ozark Mountains."
NBC News"A Missouri woman was sentenced Tuesday to more than four years in federal prison for scheming to defraud Elvis Presley's family by trying to auction off his Graceland home and property before a judge halted the brazen foreclosure sale."
CBS News"A woman was sentenced to more than four years in prison for a brazen scheme to conduct a fraudulent sale of Graceland, the famed estate of Elvis Presley."
BBC NewsArticles (6)
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FAQ
Findley falsely claimed that Lisa Marie Presley borrowed $3.8 million from a bogus private lender and used Graceland as collateral, then threatened to sell Graceland if the Presley family did not pay a $2.85 million settlement, fabricating loan documents and a foreclosure notice to support the scheme.
The auction was halted by a judge after Riley Keough, Lisa Marie Presley's daughter, filed a lawsuit that successfully blocked the fraudulent foreclosure sale.
Lisa Jeanine Findley was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison, followed by three years of probation, after pleading guilty to one count of mail fraud related to the Graceland fraud scheme.
Findley was also indicted on a charge of aggravated identity theft, but that charge was dropped as part of her plea agreement.
Graceland is Elvis Presley’s famous home, a popular museum since 1982, and the target property in the fraud attempt where Findley tried to fraudulently auction it off, threatening the Presley family's ownership rights.
History
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