Couple found guilty of identity theft, elder financial abuse of late Sanger golf course owner

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A assemblage has convicted Gina Abercrombie and her fiancé, Justin Teel, connected fiscal maltreatment and individuality theft charges successful a high-profile lawsuit involving the precocious proprietor of a Valley play course.

The verdict, delivered Tuesday aft much than 2 months of proceedings proceedings, followed extended grounds and thousands of documents presented by prosecutors.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Lisa Urrizola said the grounds showed the mates stole much than $800,000 from Abercrombie's stepfather, Randy Hansen, betwixt 2017 and 2022.

Hansen owned Sherwood Forest Golf Club adjacent Sanger and died successful 2020.

Prosecutors said the strategy spanned 5 years and progressive Abercrombie and Teel impersonating Hansen and applying for concern loans successful his name.

Urrizola characterized the fraud arsenic escalating implicit time.

"They dipped their toed successful the pool, and past they enactment their leg, and past they jumped in, and they ne'er stopped," Urrizola said.

Throughout the trial, Abercrombie and Teel were seen glancing astatine the courtroom assemblage and, astatine times, appearing confident.

That demeanor changed arsenic the verdict was read.

Abercrombie shook her caput and appeared emotional, aboriginal telling idiosyncratic successful the assemblage the verdict was wrong.

Urrizola dismissed the reaction.

"I deliberation some of them are sociopaths, and they've ne'er been held accountable for their behavior, and they judge they were going to get distant with it, and they did for a precise agelong time," she said.

Prosecutors emphasized the coordination betwixt the 2 defendants, arguing the strategy was deliberate and agelong successful the making.

Urrizola said their transportation dated backmost years.

"Teal is simply a felon; helium was paroled successful 2015 for owe fraud, perjury, and payment fraud. They knew each different from precocious school, and helium looked her up erstwhile helium got retired of prison, and past her parent passed away, and that was ripe for the picking," she said.

The territory attorney's bureau said it plans to question the maximum condemnation of 5 years and 4 months successful situation for some defendants.

"Based connected the sophistication, based connected the information that they took vantage of this man, that helium was a household member, that it went connected for implicit 3 years, truthful determination was ne'er a reflection by them to stop," Urrizola said.

In summation to imaginable situation time, the defendants could beryllium ordered to wage up to $875,000 successful restitution. Sentencing is scheduled for June 29.

Vincent Camarillo: For quality updates, travel Vincent Camarillo connected Instagram.