Recently, there’s been a wild and puzzling saga involving none other than Graceland, Elvis Presley’s iconic home. This story has all the elements of a gripping mystery novel, complete with scammers, fake documents, and a battle to protect a piece of rock ‘n’ roll history.
A mysterious company tried to sell Graceland right out from under Elvis Presley’s family. The plot thickened when this company, Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC, came forward with claims that Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’s daughter, owed them a whopping $3.8 million. They even went so far as to announce a foreclosure sale on the steps of a Memphis courthouse.
But wait, it gets stranger. The whole operation was allegedly orchestrated by a self-confessed scammer who claimed to be part of a Nigerian scam network. Bizarre emails written in Luganda, a language spoken in Uganda, revealed the plot to target ‘gullible’ Americans. The scammer admitted that the Presley family had outsmarted him, saying, “She beat me at my own game.”
So, who is behind this? The emails came from an address associated with Gregory Naussany, but finding any real-world trace of Naussany or his company proved impossible. Phone numbers were disconnected, addresses were just PO boxes, and nothing was officially registered.
Riley Keough, Elvis’s granddaughter, stepped in and applied for an injunction to stop the sale. Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins of the Chancery Court in Memphis blocked the effort, and the scammer behind Naussany admitted defeat via email.
Ruthless ‘Nigerian scammer’ takes credit for auction scare at Elvis Presley’s Graceland: ‘I had fun’ https://t.co/gjyXiKzdHH pic.twitter.com/8OHXEtzcIy
— New York Post (@nypost) May 29, 2024
What made this scam so audacious was its use of seemingly legitimate documents, including a promissory note and a deed of trust with Lisa Marie Presley’s signature. However, these documents were quickly debunked.
A notary in Florida, whose signature appeared on the deed, stated she had never met Lisa Marie or notarized any document for her. Plus, the deed included references to ‘online notarization,’ which wasn’t authorized in Florida until two years after the document’s supposed date.
The scam unravelled further when Naussany’s attempt to press the claims in court fell apart. Despite filing a request for an extension, no representative showed up in court. Naussany then sent an email stating he was “withdrawing all claims with prejudice,” effectively ending the scam attempt.
This bizarre case has left seasoned lawyers and real estate experts scratching their heads. Mark Sunderman, a real estate professor at the University of Memphis, noted that if this hadn’t involved such a high-profile property, the scammers might have succeeded.
The FBI is now believed to be investigating this elaborate plot. It’s a reminder of the growing threat of property fraud. According to the FBI’s 2022 Internet Crime Report, over 11,000 individuals in the U.S. were victims of property fraud.
In the end, the Presley family managed to safeguard Graceland from a bizarre and audacious scam. This case highlights the importance of vigilance and the lengths to which scammers will go to exploit even the most iconic and beloved properties.
