Couple sentenced in fraud case tied to Sherwood Forest Golf Club owner

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A one time couple convicted of defrauding the late owner of Sanger's Sherwood Forest Golf Club has been sentenced to jail.

Justin Teel will serve three years in custody, and his former fiancée, Gina Abercrombie, will serve one year.

Prosecutors said Abercrombie acted as the "puppet master," directing more than $800,000 to be stolen from her stepfather, Randy Hansen.

"They took advantage of a man for 1,000 days," Fresno County prosecutor Lisa Urrizola said. "These are very sophisticated criminals, your honor. They're bright. They've been to college."

The sentences follow a high-profile trial that lasted for months, with attorneys on both sides arguing the case for more than eight weeks as jurors listened to the evidence.

It included claims that the couple impersonated Hansen before he died in 2020 and applied for loans in his name.

"He was taken advantage of when he was at his most vulnerable, following the death of his wife," Hansen's daughter, Stacy, said.

Stacy Hansen said she does not feel safe and fears for her life following Abercrombie's recent jailhouse calls.

"She lied. We should all retaliate against her,' Abercrombie said in one call earlier this month. "If I suffer, she will suffer. I will make sure she suffers," she said in another call.

The judge appeared to condemn the calls but said he was influenced by numerous letters of support for Abercrombie in deciding on a lesser sentence.

"I'm taking a chance here. I'm basing that chance on the significant support by those folks who were close to you," Fresno County Superior Court Judge Jonathan Conklin said.

"I don't agree with it, with all due respect, your honor," Urrizola said. "I think if somebody steals from somebody for three years, I think they should get a term of three years."

Both sentences will be served at the Fresno County Jail.

Gina Abercrombie will remain on probation for five years after her sentence, while Justin Teel will be released after three years with no probation.

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