Graceland Type Seller Impersonation Fraud on the Rise

On June 18, a Missouri grandmother, Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, will stand before a federal judge in Memphis, TN. She will be there to learn how many years she will spend in prison for her attempted seller impersonation fraud (SIF) to sell Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. The sentence could be up to 20 years.

The former resident of Kimberling City, MO, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud in late February. Records in the United States District Court of Western Tennessee detail her scheme. She created a fake loan company, cobbled together fake documents, and made fraudulent court filings, according to the court filing. All in an effort to swindle one of Presley’s grandchildren out of the Presley mansion in Memphis.

Riley Keough, 35, a model, actress, and filmmaker, inherited Graceland through The Promenade Trust when her mother died. Lisa Marie Presley passed away on January 12, 2023. That was four days after she visited Graceland for the 88th anniversary of her father’s birth. Keough’s mother was the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley.

Seller Impersonation Fraud On The Rise

Findley, who has a string of aliases, is officially convicted of mail fraud. However, it is similar to wire fraud. The difference between mail and wire fraud is the means used to perpetrate the crime. Mail fraud is committed using the United States Postal Service (USPS) or other carriers, such as FedEx, UPS, etc. Wire fraud uses electronic communication, such as faxes, telephones, emails, or the internet.

Both mail and wire fraud are SIF swindles carrying federal sentences up to 20 years. More importantly for property owners and real estate professionals, SIFs are on the rise.

The 2025 Special Report: Real Estate Wire Fraud Trends found that 95% of title and escrow professionals surveyed reported wire fraud increased or remained constant over the previous year. In addition, 60% said they have been subjected to such fraud in the last 12 months.

The fraud threat report is published each year by Qualia, a digital real estate closing platform. The firm only sees fraud attempts increasing.

“The financial impacts of wire fraud seem likely to increase in the years ahead,” according to a Qualia review of its 2025 report. “Already, some title & escrow companies have experienced losses of more than $500,000 in a single year.”

The Graceland Scheme

The Graceland SIF scheme is a classic, with a few embellishments.

SIF plots often begin with the death of a property owner. The plan to cheat Keough out of Graceland began with the death of her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, at age 54.

Findley launched her scheme by creating a fake company, Naussany Investments & Private Lending, LLC., according to court documents. Findley used that company name and at least three aliases to launch her SIF scam.

Posing as Kurt Naussany, a fake officer of the fake company, Findley emailed Keough’s attorneys a few months after Lisa Marie Presley’s death, threatening to foreclose on Graceland. Acting as Naussany Investments, Findley filed a false creditor’s claim with the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles and a fake deed of trust with the Shelby County Register’s Office in Memphis.

Fishy Loan Documents

The phony lending company claimed Lisa Marie Presley had pledged Graceland as collateral for a $3.8 million loan that had not been repaid. Naussamy Investments was offering to settle the claim for $2.85 million.

In another fabrication, Naussany produced a promissory note purportedly signed by Presley and notarized by a Florida notary in 2018.

However, two problems with the promissory note surfaced immediately.

One was that the loan document was supposed to have been notarized remotely. Such transactions are done using video conferencing. The problem there was that Florida did not allow remote online notarization (RON) until 2020.

Another was that the signature looked nothing like Presley’s or the notary’s. Kimberly Philbrick, the notary whose signature was badly forged, submitted an affidavit to the grand jury that investigated the SIF case. In it, she swore that she did not notarize the transaction. “I have never met Lisa Marie Presley, nor have I ever notarized a document signed by Lisa Marie Presley,” Philbrick wrote. “I do not know why my signature appears on this document.”

Keough Fights Back

Push back on the SIF was launched when Keough sued Naussamy Investments in Tennessee state court.

Findley, acting as Naussany Investments, ran an ad in Memphis’ daily newspaper, The Commercial Appeal. The ad announced that Graceland would be sold to the highest bidder on May 23 last year. However, Keough’s suit stopped the sale.

Facing legal scrutiny, Findley contacted Keough’s attorneys, the state court, and members of the news media, reporting that the whole thing was a fraud. However, she pointed the blame for the scheme on an unidentified identity thief in Nigeria.

Arrest on Anniversary Of Elvis’ Death

Coincidentally, Findley was arrested for her Graceland scheme on August 16, 2024 – the 47th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. For some, that added a personal touch to the case.

“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.”

How Seller Impersonation Fraud Works

“In most cases of SIF, the fraudster searches public records to identify property that is free and clear of a mortgage loan or other liens,” according to Old Republic Title’s website.

These grifters often seek vacation homes, rental properties, and vacant land. In addition, seniors are often targeted.

Once a property is selected, the criminal poses as the property owner. They then hire a real estate agent using email, the internet, or text messaging to communicate.

Often, the perpetrator tells the agent they need a quick sale for an emergency. As a result, they list the property below market value for an all-cash buyer and a quick close.

How To Protect Yourself

There are numerous red flags that signal possible fraud in real estate transactions. The American Land Title Association (ALTA) provides a free download of SIF.

Among the things that may indicate SIF are:

The owner will not meet in person and will only communicate by text, email, or telephone.
The property is not occupied by the owner.
The seller wants a sale within three weeks and may not negotiate fees.

Measures you can take to safeguard your interests include:

Ask the real estate agent if they have met the seller in person or have verified his/her identity.
Mail a letter to the owner of the property at the address listed on the tax records.
Require notarization from a notary you have personally verified. Remember that a legitimate notary’s signature was forged in the Graceland case.
Compare the seller’s signature to the signature of the owner shown on other recorded documents.

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Max Erkiletian

Max K. Erkiletian is a seasoned journalist and analytical reporter with nearly 40 years of experience. He has been nominated for several honors and was part of a team that won the Missouri Press Association’s Community Service Award.

His experience has included covering a wide range of topics, from crime reporting to politics and music. His interview subjects have included U.S. Senators, such as Tom Eagleton; economists, such as Arthur Laffer; former Fed Chair Paul Volcker; and musicians, such as Muddy Waters and B. B. King.

Today, he focuses on personal finance, consumer protection, economic shifts, and investment trends. His reporting aims to make complex issues understood and show how events impact consumers’ wallets.