A self-proclaimed scammer has come forward claiming responsibility for a strange scheme to attempt to force the Tennessee Graceland estate of American rock icon Elvis Presley into foreclosure.
In a letter to the New York Times, the individual reportedly stated, “We specialize in theft. That’s our modus operandi.”
Another letter, addressed to CNN and attributed to the same individual, read, “I didn’t succeed this time. I have assumed multiple identities and received funds, but not all attempts are successful.”
A separate letter highlighted by The Commercial Appeal claimed, “I am the mastermind of the Nigerian Yahoo group… The Presley incident is entirely fictional and a joke. We mock the press for their gullibility.”
CNN clarified that they could not independently verify if the entity responding to their request for comment was indeed the perpetrator of the scam.
U.S. News
Judge in Tennessee blocks effort to put Graceland up for sale
9:25 AM, May 22, 2024
In late May, Riley Keough, Elvis Presley’s granddaughter, sought legal action to prevent a public auction of the historic 13-acre Memphis property. A judge intervened and halted the sale.
An earlier public notice for a foreclosure sale on the estate in the same month stated that the entity overseeing Graceland’s museum, Promenade Trust, owed $3.8 million due to a loan default from 2018. Following the passing of Lisa Marie Presley, Keough inherited the trust and property ownership.
Keough’s attorney affirmed, “Lisa Maria Presley did not borrow funds from Naussany Investments or grant them a deed of trust.”
The individual behind the scam utilized a name and company alias that Scripps News could not trace back online, as any online presence seemed to have been deliberately erased.
