(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Lisa Findley, the Missouri woman facing federal charges in connection with an alleged attempt to illegally auction off Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate, will remain locked up while her case is pending.
Findley, 53, appeared in U.S. District Court in Memphis Friday afternoon for the second week in a row for what was expected to be a detention hearing, but public defender Tyrone Paylor told Magistrate Judge Annie Christoff that Findley would be waiving her right to the hearing.
Christoff asked Findley if she understood that this meant that she would remain in custody.
“Yes,” replied Findley, who sat at the edge of the jury box, handcuffed and wearing jail-issued clothing.
Findley was arrested in Missouri on Aug. 16 on charges of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. She was transported to Tennessee several weeks ago.
Paylor formally entered a not guilty plea on Findley’s behalf Friday. He declined to comment to reporters as he left the courtroom.
Federal prosecutors allege that Findley formed a “brazen scheme” to try to “extort a settlement from the Presley family.”
She allegedly forged the signatures of Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley’s late daughter, and Florida notary Kimberly Philbrick on documents that claimed Lisa Marie took out a $3.8 million loan from a purported company called Naussany Investments prior to her death and listed Graceland as collateral.
Naussany Investments, an unregistered entity that Findley is accused of creating, filed public notices in May stating that it would auction off Graceland at the front of the Shelby County Courthouse.
A Shelby County chancellor issued a temporary injunction at the time that prevented such an auction from taking place, citing an affidavit from Philbrick that stated that her signature was forged and that she never met Lisa Marie.
Philbrick testified before a federal grand jury in August and also spoke exclusively to ABC News, telling GMA3 anchor Eva Pilgrim that she had no idea how her name became associated with the attempt to sell Graceland.
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