Attempted Graceland foreclosure investigation turned over to federal law enforcement
The attempted Graceland foreclosure sale remains under investigation. Only now, federal authorities will investigate the matter.
“The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office looked into the Graceland matter, and it quickly became apparent that this was a matter best suited for federal law enforcement. We have faith in our federal partners and know they will handle this appropriately," director of communications for the Tennessee Attorney General's Office Amy Lannom Wilhite said in a statement.
On May 23, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said his office would be looking into Naussany Investments and Private Lending, which was the entity behind the attempted sale. Skrmetti's office would not specify which federal organization or entities would be taking over the investigation.
Court halts foreclosure auctionof Elvis Presley's Graceland home: 'Irreparable harm'
The Graceland foreclosure case has been a peculiar one. Three foreclosure notices were published by Naussany Investments beginning on May 6, citing a public auction for the historic Memphis estate. On May 22, the foreclosure sale was halted by Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins after a Shelby County Chancery Court hearing.
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Following the hearing on May 24, Memphis-based law firm Morton & Germany filed the court-ordered injunction bond. Morton & Germany is representing Riley Keough and The Promenade Trust, which controls ownership of the Graceland estate. Keough is the daughter of the late Lisa Marie Presley. Morton & Germany filed the countersuit regarding the sale and said the foreclosure claims were fraudulent.
Before the hearing, Morton & Germany had not received any communications with Naussany Investments representatives. (Addresses associated with the company were all linked to P.O. boxes.) The morning before the May 22 hearing, the Shelby County Chancery Court received a letter from a Gregory Naussany asking the court to delay the hearing. (The court denied that request.) Following the May 22 hearing, the alleged Gregory Naussany emailed The Commercial Appeal and claimed to drop the case.
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That email and correspondence was riddled with grammatical errors. Additionally, neither the Shelby County Chancery Court nor Morton & Germany offices had received communication with any Naussany Investments representatives. On May 25, The Commercial Appeal received a second email from an alleged Kurt Naussany, who is named in the original lawsuit along with a Carolyn Williams.
That second email was written in Spanish and claimed the alleged Naussany Investments firm was the "Yahoo Ring Leader of Nigeria." The New York Times and The Daily Memphian also reported receiving similar emails from Kurt Naussany. The emails to other media outlets were written in different languages and contained slightly differing details, however, still claimed responsibility for predatory and fraudulent behavior.
Neil Strebig is a journalist with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at [email protected], 901-426-0679 or via X/Twitter,@neilStrebig.