The Plot to Steal Graceland: How a Fraudster Forged a $3.8M Mortgage to Auction Elvis Presley’s Estate

The Detailed Story

MEMPHIS, TN — Federal prosecutors uncovered a scheme to seize and auction Graceland, Elvis Presley’s home and resting place, using a fabricated $3.8 million debt.

Court records said Lisa Jeanine Findley created a fictitious lender, used multiple aliases, and fabricated a 2018 loan agreement and deed of trust claiming Lisa Marie Presley had pledged Graceland as collateral. The documents carried a forged signature and counterfeit notary acknowledgment.

After Lisa Marie Presley died, the supposed lender demanded a discounted $2.85 million settlement. When the estate refused, public notices scheduled a courthouse foreclosure auction for May 23, 2024.

A judge halted the auction less than 24 hours before it began. The notary named in the deed swore she had never met Presley and had not notarized the document. Investigators later traced a false cover story back to Findley, who pleaded guilty to mail fraud and received 57 months in federal prison plus supervised release.

Key Facts & Victim Impact

• Target: Graceland and its surrounding 13-acre historic compound in Memphis.
• False claim: A fabricated $3.8 million note and a demand for a $2.85 million settlement.
• Methods: Forged deed of trust, counterfeit notarization, shell identities, and foreclosure-publication rules.
• Outcome: Emergency injunction, federal conviction, 57-month prison sentence, and three years of supervision.

Critical Red Flags

1. Post-mortem lien: A previously unknown lender appears after an owner’s death with an old, unrecorded debt.
2. Discount settlement pressure: A creditor offers to take less money immediately to avoid probate review or testimony.
3. Phantom lender: No verifiable registration, office, telephone history, or genuine banking presence.
4. Distant notary: The acknowledgment comes from a place where the borrower was not present or conducting business.

Irving’s Bottom Line

Foreclosure paperwork can look official and still be fabricated. Estates should verify the lender, original note, recording history, signatures, and notary directly before responding to any demand.