Identity thief claims to be behind Graceland seizure attempt: report

An identity thief has reportedly come forward and claimed responsibility for the audacious plan to take over Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion and sell it at auction, according to a New York Times report.

The publication reported that a person she corresponded with via email admitted to being the ringleader of the plot.

The plot allegedly involved a team of other fraudsters and ultimately failed in court last week, but still remains shrouded in mystery.

According to the Times, the alleged fraudster, who claims to be from Nigeria, described the seizure attempt as a scam and not a legitimate attempt to collect a debt.

GRACELAND IS “PART OF OUR HISTORY” AND SHOULD STAY IN THE PRESLEY FAMILY, VISITORS SAY

The ringleader told the outlet that his team preys on the dead, the unsuspecting and the elderly, especially those in Florida and California. They use birth certificates and other documents to discover personal information to help them in their illicit property theft schemes.

“We’re figuring out how to steal,” the alleged thief said. “This is what we do.”

According to the Times, the email address he corresponded with matches an email address used in court documents by Naussany Investments and Private Lending, the company behind the attempt to seize the property.

Naussany Investments and Private Lending claimed that Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’ only daughter, took out a $3.8 million loan from the company and used Graceland in Tennessee as collateral. Naussany claimed Lisa Marie never repaid that money before she died last year. The company therefore attempted to recoup the alleged losses by putting the property up for auction.

But Elvis’ granddaughter, Riley Keough, sole heir to the property, claimed the loan deal was a scam and asked the court Wednesday for an injunction to stop the sale.

Keough maintains that Naussany used false documents and a fake shell company to make his claims. The injunction was granted and then, in another twist, Naussany withdrew his requests after the court hearing.

GRACELAND AUCTIONS STOPPED AFTER ELVIS PRESLEY’S GRANDDAUGHTER REQUESTS INJUNCTION

According to the Times, the author of the email admitted that the group had turned its attention to Graceland as early as September, eight months after Lisa Marie Presley’s death. Naussany Investments filed documents with a California probate court showing what it said was Lisa Marie Presley’s debt for 2018. The filing included a trust deed with a signature it said was that of Lisa Marie Presley, with Graceland presented as collateral.

In emails to the family’s lawyers, the company said it would accept a reduced sum of $2.8 million to repay the loan before filing a collection request in a Los Angeles court, reports the DailyMail.

Naussany Investments then placed an ad in a Memphis newspaper, announcing that it planned to sell Graceland at auction as part of a foreclosure attempt.

But Keough didn’t believe her mother took out the loan, successfully challenging it in court Wednesday and winning an injunction.

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Attorney Jeffrey Germany, who represents Keough, filed a complaint with the court regarding the authenticity of the purported deed of trust. Germany submitted an affidavit stating that the purported notary public did not notarize Lisa Marie’s signature on the purported trust deed and never met Lisa Marie Presley.

The Times says it asked for clarification on specific questions, but the email writer responded, “You don’t have to understand,” while taking credit for the crew’s alleged success in other cases.

“I’m the one making trouble,” the writer said in his first email Friday. The Times reports that the sender of the email claimed to be based in Nigeria, but wrote in Luganda, a Bantu language spoken in Uganda, and broken English. To add even more mystery to the case, the court documents appear to have been written in fluent English.

“Your client has nothing to fear,” the person wrote. “earn it.” Then the writer added: “She beat me at my own game.”

The case still leaves many unanswered questions, including whether Naussany Investments and Private Lending exist. For example, the Times reports that the phone numbers listed in the company’s court documents are not in service, while the addresses listed by the company are those of post offices.

Naussany Investments’ attempted seizure of Graceland is being investigated by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti.

“I have asked my attorneys to review this matter, determine the extent of any misconduct that may have occurred and identify what we can do to protect both Elvis Presley’s heirs and any other person who may be threatened in the same way,” Skrmetti said in a statement. .