An abandoned jet that once belonged to Elvis Presely captured our hearts here at Jalopnik over the past year. After laying to rust in the desert for decades, the aging Lockheed Jetstar was saved and has been transformed into a luxurious RV by a budding mechanic who has now uncovered some of the jet’s dark secrets.
The jet in question is a 1962 Lockheed Jetstar that was bought by Jimmy Webb, who hosts the Jimmy’s World channel, back in early 2023. In the 22 months since he bought the plane at auction, Webb has revived the jet and turned it into a luxurious road-going creation.
To celebrate the completion of the ambitious build, Webb decided to drive his creation to Graceland, the former estate of Elvis and now a museum to his work. When he pulled up on site, however, he was politely asked to vacate the premises and take his ridiculous jet with him.
The incident caught Webb off guard, but now he’s dug into the history of the jet and uncovered a reason as to why the Presley estate may not want to see the red and chrome Jetstar back on The King’s property, and it’s all to do with an FBI sting into white collar crime in America.
In his latest update on the Elvis Jet, Webb explained that it was actually one of two Lockhead Jetstar aircraft that were owned by the Presley family and its sister craft was once embroiled in an FBI sting called Operation Fountain Pen (OPFOPEN.) The operation targeted thieves pedaling fake investments across America and Europe, with two con men attempting to swindle The King out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Fred Pro and Phil Kitzer reportedly offered to buy Elvis’ first Jetsar aircraft when he upgraded to a larger plane and wasn’t using it as much anymore. After buying the plane, they claimed they would restore and repair the Jetstar before leasing it back to Presley who would eventually be able to buy it back from them for just a few bucks.
This deal was reportedly approved by Elvis’ farther, Vernon Presley, who agreed to the sale and handed over the keys to the Jetsar plane. In return, Vernon Presley was given two checks for the plane, which both bounced when he tried to cash them, reports FBI Retired in a blog post about the scam:
Agents said during the undercover phase of the investigation Alfredo Proc, aka Freddie Pro admitted swindling Elvis Presley’s Lockheed JetStar and later using it as collateral in yet another scheme. Meeting in New York — shortly after Presley’s death — Proc admitted his role in the scam telling undercover agents, “Wheels-up,” he telephoned Kitzer using the plane’s sky phone bragging he took the jet. Acknowledging the call, Kitzer said Proc took the jet.
Once the plane was in his possession, Pro planned to strip the plane down and sell off the parts instead of fixing it up and offering it back to Elvis. The singer’s suspicions were alerted, however, when newspapers reported on dodgy dealings from Pro and Kitzer, which led Vernon Presley to call them demanding the return of the aircraft, explains Webb.
Despite the demands, Pro continued stringing along the Presley family for months, claiming that money was coming in and he was definitely planning on paying the family for the plane. As such, the sister plane remained with Pro, and the Presley family ultimately bought the second Jetstar aircraft to tide them over until its return, speculates Webb.
Once the walls closed in on Pro and Kitzer and they were arrested, the first jet was returned to the Presley family and the red Jetsar was sold off. It’s maybe the reminder of the whole ordeal that means it’s no longer welcome at Graceland, but you can decide for yourself on that one by watching Webb’s video above.
If you want to find out more about the resurrection of the Elvis jet, head here to see how it ended up in Webb’s hands and here to find out what work went into turning it into a luxury RV.
