(Kansas City, MO) – A Missouri woman has been arrested on federal charges in connection with a scheme to extort Elvis Presley’s estate of millions of dollars and steal Graceland from under the Presley family.
The U.S. Justice Department said the alleged scheme centered around an attempt to seize the Presley family’s ownership interest in Graceland, the late music star’s home in Memphis, Tennessee. Graceland is a major tourist attraction.
Court documents say the 53-year-old woman, from the Branson area, falsely claimed that Elvis’s daughter, the late Lisa Marie Presley, had borrowed $3.8 million, used Graceland as collateral, and failed to repay the debt. The Kimberling City woman is also accused of publishing a false foreclosure notice and of attempting to hold a public auction to sell Graceland.
The suspect has seven different names that she goes by.
“As a Memphian, I know that Graceland is a national treasure,” said U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee. “This defendant allegedly used a brazen scheme to try to defraud the Presley family of their interest in this singularly important landmark. Of course, all homeowners deserve to have their property protected from fraud, and the Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute anyone who commits financial crimes or identity theft.”
After the scheme attracted global media attention, Findley allegedly wrote to representatives of Elvis Presley’s family, the Tennessee state court, and the media to claim falsely that the person responsible for the scheme was a Nigerian identity thief located in Nigeria.
“Fame and money are magnets for criminals who look to capitalize on another person’s celebrity status,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group. “In this case, Ms. Findley allegedly took advantage of the very public and tragic occurrences in the Presley family as an opportunity to prey on the name and financial status of the heirs to the Graceland estate, attempting to steal what rightfully belongs to the Presley family for her personal gain. Postal Inspectors and their law enforcement partners put an end to her alleged scheme, protecting the Presley family from continued harm and stress. This is an example of our relentless investigative work and commitment to bringing criminals to justice for their illegal activity.”
Findley is charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, she could get a minimum of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for mail fraud.
The FBI Kansas City Field Office is assisting in the case.
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