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Forged notarization leads to indictment of Missouri woman in scheme to defraud Graceland

Elvis Presley's home, Graceland

In one of the most high-profile cases of attempted property and Notary impersonation fraud, a Missouri woman has been indicted in an elaborate scheme to steal ownership of Elvis Presley’s famed Graceland estate, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, was charged in Shelby County, Tennessee, with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft after she allegedly attempted to claim the iconic property through forged loan documents and fabricated identities, according to the indictment. A highly questionable notarization prompted a Tennessee judge to halt the Graceland foreclosure proceedings last May, which blew the case wide open.

Findley is believed to have used a web of fakes and forgeries in her suspected scam, including a phony company, a pile of fraudulent documents, multiple aliases of people who don’t exist, forged signatures — including the late Lisa Marie Presley’s—and the stolen signature and seal of a real Florida Notary who had nothing to do with the case.

U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz of the Western District of Tennessee emphasized the seriousness of the case in a public statement, calling Graceland a national treasure. “This defendant allegedly used a brazen scheme to try to defraud the Presley family of their interest in this singularly important landmark,” he said. “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.”

According to the indictment, Findley concocted a plan to claim that Lisa Marie Presley, the late daughter of Elvis Presley, borrowed $3.8 million from her firm, Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC, and used Graceland as collateral. Authorities claim the company was fictitious, and Findley falsely stated that Presley’s loan went unpaid, leading to foreclosure proceedings.

Findley then reportedly forged the signatures of both Lisa Marie Presley and a Florida Notary to create fraudulent loan documents dating back to 2018 — five years before Lisa Marie Presley’s death in 2023. Findley also used multiple aliases, including “Lisa Holden” and “Lisa Howell.”

In May, a Tennessee judge blocked the Graceland foreclosure sale after actress Danielle Riley Keough, the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley, alleged the entire case was fraudulent. Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins ruled in favor of the Presley family, stating that “The Notary has sworn that the Notary did not notarize the signature of Lisa Marie Presley on the deed of trust, which brings in the question as to the authenticity of the signature and indeed the deed of trust as being a fraud.”

Specifically, on the notarization, it is claimed that the Presley loan documents were notarized by Florida Notary Kimberly Philbrick in May of 2018. But there are two signs the notarization was potentially fraudulent.

First, the certificate language reads that the documents were acknowledged before a Notary “by means of ( ) physical presence or ( ) online notarization.” Remote Online Notarization was not authorized in Florida until 2020, making it unlikely the documents were notarized in 2018.

Second, Philbrick stated in an affidavit that she did not perform the notarizations. “I have never met Lisa Marie Presley, nor have I ever notarized a document signed by Lisa Marie Presley,” she wrote in the affidavit. “I do not know why my signature appears on this document.”

The case underscores why Notaries today are more important than ever in their role to authenticate identities, lend trust to transactions and prevent fraud. It also highlights the need for increased vigilance among Notaries, industries and the public in verifying the legitimacy of notarial acts and ensuring that all parties involved in property transactions are protected from fraud.

Phillip Browne is Vice President of Communications at the National Notary Association.

25 Comments

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V in CA

20 Sep 2024

This is very interesting, thank you for the article. It would be interesting to know how the culprit obtained the Notary's stamp.

Gay N Johnson-Huffman

23 Sep 2024

Thank you for sharing this information with us. It's amazing how people can attempt to use whatever means to fraud another.

Tracey Love

23 Sep 2024

Thank you so much for this article, it confirms how important it is to go the extra mile to protect your privacy and the privacy of your customers as well.

Angela S. Hawkins

23 Sep 2024

Fraud has gone to entirely new level. The average person can do very little to keep up with the plethora of ways needed to protect their identity and belongings. Thank you for sharing this article. What a tragedy it would have been for the family to have lost Graceland over lies and deception !!!

B. Cox

23 Sep 2024

I am wondering how she was able to obtain and duplicate the notary stamp.

RHONDA LIPPENCOTT

23 Sep 2024

Unfortunately, she could have gone to the Courthouse, obtained a copy of a document the notary did in fact notarize and went from there.

Jo H

23 Sep 2024

This is another reason why Notary Insurance is more important than ever.

Lucy Munoz

23 Sep 2024

This article really blew my mind! Great read.

S.C.

23 Sep 2024

The part about the document having the online notarization option in 2018 despite that option only becoming available in 2020 made me laugh in a "...wow" kind of way! Also interested (like the previous commentor) to know how they got ahold of the Notary's physical stamp. I wonder if they just got a custom stamp made with the Notary's info, and if so, how did they even find that Notary's info if they don't know each other?

Eyvette R Bailey

23 Sep 2024

This is a situation that has most likely happen to other innocent people. Scary how thigs like this happen.

Pat Miller

23 Sep 2024

Interesting article! Nothing remains sacred anymore! Picking such a prominent property was bizarre to begin with!

Nancy Lohr-McGohey

23 Sep 2024

Stealing Graceland...smh

Ann Forman

23 Sep 2024

I would also like to know how she obtained the stamp! Wow. You always need to be vigilant.

Rebecca Seibold

23 Sep 2024

This was very interesting, and I had been following this, I too ma interested in how they obtained the Notary's stamp, and the signature to forge it, did they just pick some random notary? or one used in the past, this person was so devious, wow a lot of work on the scam, how many other people did she scam.

Jean Bailey

23 Sep 2024

In Florida they dont use the raised seal, they only require a stamp which could be copy and pasted. Js

Kelly Barbosa

23 Sep 2024

Thank you for sharing this great information.

christina@christinachristllaw.com

23 Sep 2024

Nightline did a segment where they show you the image of the notary seal - it was blurry. The Notary does lots of Car Titles so the person probably swiped the name and image from some other notarized document to help make it look legitimate. The need for original documents versus scanned images might be coming - someone to verify the image matches the original they see in hand.

Judith

23 Sep 2024

Very good read. Thank you.

Lucy Bell

23 Sep 2024

Very interesting article, it is so important to keep a journal of all notary transactions. It's sad to me there are so many dishonest people in this world.

Monica A.

23 Sep 2024

In response to "V in CA" – with fraud on the rise, it’s more important than ever for notaries to keep their seals secured when not in use. However, no matter how securely we lock away or hide our seals, dishonest individuals seem always to be a step ahead. Unfortunately, technology and online marketplaces have made it alarmingly easy for criminals to obtain notary stamps, potentially jeopardizing our profession’s integrity. As curiosity got to me, I searched Amazon for "Florida notary stamp" - I could not believe it as the sample pictures shown had the same name & state as the Florida notary mentioned in the above NNA article! As notaries, we must remain vigilant, always knowing where our seals are, keeping them in sight when possible, and consistently recording every detail in our journals. It's a small but crucial step in protecting ourselves and our clients.

Debra Paul

23 Sep 2024

I heard this on the national news in the Spring. Cannot believe the depths of dishonesty some people have. I too, like V in CA, wonder how the notary stamp was obtained. I know I keep mine in my desk at work, now wondering how safe that really is. Thanks always for the stories that we can glean from.

Mariah D Fioretti

23 Sep 2024

Thank you for the follow-up conclusion of this interesting case. Keeping a paper trail of our notarial acts, stamps and journals under lock and key is paramount. Unfortunately, scammers are everywhere.

Kathy Jacobson

25 Sep 2024

Thank you for sharing this article. Please do a follow up to the outcome if possible.

Pratiti Vora

26 Sep 2024

Thank you for the article. This is very eye opening and scary. How the notary seal obtained?

Pratiti Vora

26 Sep 2024

Thank you for sharing the article. It is eye opening and scary. I am interested in knowing how the seal has been obtained.

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