The Federal Bureau of Investigation may launch a criminal investigation into possible fraud allegedly related to a now-blocked foreclosure sale of Elvis Presley's famous Graceland mansion, according to TMZ and Radar.
Media reported Wednesday that the FBI had contacted actor Riley Keough's team and Graceland officials on Tuesday, reportedly expressing interest in Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC, the company seeking to auction off the building.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told the Times via email that it had not received a request to “inquire from the Shelby County District Attorney General what the mechanism for our potential involvement would be.”
Representatives for Keough did not immediately respond to The Times' request for confirmation and comment.
Keough filed a lawsuit against Naussany Investments last week, alleging that the company had filed fraudulent documents claiming that his late mother, Lisa Marie Presley, had borrowed $3.8 million from the company and “executed a deed of trust that encumbered Graceland as collateral.”
The “Daisy Jones & the Six” star claimed in her lawsuit, in which she asked a judge to block the Graceland auction and declare the documents fraudulent, that “Lisa Marie Presley never borrowed money from Naussany Investments and never delivered a property deed. trust to Naussany Investments.”
A Tennessee judge granted Keough a temporary injunction against the sale on Wednesday. The court also said it would move forward with the fraud case, citing the failure of Naussany Investments representatives to appear at Wednesday's hearing and the need for additional evidence from Keough's attorneys.
After the ruling, a person purporting to be a representative of Naussany Investments filed a statement saying the company would withdraw its claims about Graceland, the Associated Press reported.
Elvis Presley Enterprises, which manages Presley's estate, told The Times in a statement Wednesday that business would continue as usual.
“As the court has made clear, the claims were invalid,” the statement read. “There will be no foreclosure. “Graceland will continue to operate as it has for the past 42 years, ensuring that Elvis fans around the world can continue to have a best-in-class experience when they visit his iconic home.”
Keough's lawsuit, which was reviewed by The Times, says Naussany Investments filed a deed of trust for Graceland and a standard promissory note to the estate through Los Angeles County Superior Court in September.
The trust deed contained the signature of Florida notary Kimberly Philbrick, who filed an affidavit on May 8 saying she had no connection to the documents.
“I have never met Lisa Marie Presley, nor have I ever notarized a document signed by Lisa Marie Presley,” Philbrick's affidavit said. “I don't know why my signature appears on this document.”
Keough was formally named sole administrator of her mother's estate (and, by extension, Elvis's estate) in November after settling a legal dispute with grandmother Priscilla Presley, Elvis' widow.
