Arrested for attempted fraud Woman tried to scam her way into ownership of Graceland
A woman allegedly tried to steal the ownership rights to Elvis Presley's estate known as Graceland. Now she is on trial. A foreclosure sale that had already been scheduled has been stopped.
16.08.2024, 22:16
16.08.2024, 22:35
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- The American authorities have arrested a woman who allegedly attempted to fraudulently seize the ownership rights to Elvis Presley's estate known as Graceland.
- The woman allegedly claimed that Lisa Marie Presley had mortgaged Graceland for a loan and never paid the debt.
- With the help of forged documents, she tried to force Presley's family to make payments in the millions.
- After the fraud was uncovered, a foreclosure sale that had already been scheduled was stopped.
A woman from the USA has been arrested for allegedly attempting to auction off the Elvis Presley estate Graceland with a cheeky scam. The US Department of Justice announced today, Friday, that the woman is accused of exploiting tragic events in the Presley family to enrich herself. A judge in the US state of Tennessee halted the scheduled foreclosure sale at the end of May.
The woman, who was already known to the authorities for a series of frauds, claimed that the daughter of the "King of Rock 'n' Roll" had pledged Graceland as collateral for a loan and had not repaid the debt before her death.
With the help of forged documents and identities, the defendant allegedly tried to pressure the Presley family into paying 2.85 million dollars (almost 2.5 million francs). Among other things, she forged signatures and submitted falsified documents in California and Tennessee. The presumption of innocence applies.
Elvis' granddaughter is the rightful owner
The foreclosure announcement stated that the Promenade Trust, a foundation that controls the Graceland Museum, had not repaid debts of 3.8 million dollars.
Last year, Presley's granddaughter and daughter of Lisa Marie Presley, actress Riley Keough, inherited the trust and the property after her mother's death. Keough filed a lawsuit for fraud and the foreclosure was halted.
The Tennessee Attorney General's office initially investigated the case. In June, it then confirmed that it had handed over the investigation to the federal authorities.
Graceland was opened in 1982 as a museum and tourist attraction. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come every year. Elvis Presley died there in 1977 at the age of 42.