On Tuesday, an individual claiming to be a Nigerian scammer took responsibility for the Graceland foreclosure debacle that has put the future of Elvis Presley’s famous home in jeopardy.
The controversy surrounding the Memphis, Tennessee, estate’s foreclosure started when a public notice was issued earlier this month. It alleged that the controlling interest of Graceland owed $3.8 million to an unusual company called Naussany Investments and Private Lending.
Naussany Investments asserted its right to auction the estate. However, Presley’s granddaughter and heir, Riley Keough, sought a temporary restraining order to protect Graceland. Last week, a Tennessee judge halted any potential sale.
The specifics of the supposed $3.8 million debt remain unclear. A person based in Nigeria, using an email address linked to Naussany Investments, claimed responsibility for the attempted scam in a message to the New York Times, according to a report.
“We figure out how to steal,” the message read, written in Luganda. “That’s what we do.”
“I had fun figuring this one out and it didn’t succeed very well,” the message continued.
The money at the center of the issue relates to an alleged 2018 deed of trust, which was supposedly signed by Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley’s only child, to secure a loan through Naussany Investments.
Keough contended that her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, had never borrowed such money.
“These documents are fraudulent,” her lawsuit claimed, and the notary responsible for the 2018 deed testified in an affidavit that she had not notarized Lisa Marie Presley’s signature, according to the Tennessee judge who halted the auction.
The FBI has reportedly contacted Keough in relation to the suspected fraud, the report stated.
