Gina Abercrombie (left) and Justin Teel (right) sit alongside a defense attorney during opening statements in their Fresno County elder fraud trial Monday. ABC30 screenshot

A Fresno County jury heard opening statements in the trial of Gina Abercrombie and fiancé Justin Teel on Monday, accused of defrauding the late owner of Sherwood Forest Golf Club. 

Prosecutors claim that Abercrombie and Teel committed financial elder abuse by impersonating Abercrombie’s late stepfather, Randall “Randy” Hansen.

The pair allegedly took out $700,000 in fraudulent business loans in Hansen’s name between Feb. 9, 2017 and Jan. 31, 2022, continuing two years after Hansen’s death in 2020.

The charges against the couple include theft from an elderly or dependent adult by a caretaker and obtaining money, labor or property by false pretenses. 

If convicted, they both could face more than five years in prison.

The trial is expected to last through May, reported ABC 30.

Hansen, former owner of the Sherwood Forest in Sanger, received elder care from Beverly Rutherford of Arizona, who also faces charges. 

Rutherford, an 81-year-old Arizona resident who worked as Hansen’s caregiver, was accused of theft from an elderly or dependent adult by a caretaker. 

Hansen, a former PGA professional, owned and operated Sherwood Forest before becoming ill. 

His estate was officially entrusted to Abercrombie in 2017, according to Fresno County court records. He was cared for by Rutherford until his death at age 75.

Abercrombie and Teel were arrested on Feb. 22, 2023 in Pleasanton and booked at the Alameda County Santa Rita Jail in nearby Dublin. 

Their trial began on Feb. 23, 2026, almost three years to the date of their initial arrest.

Hansen worked for La Rinconada Country Club in Los Gatos as well as two other clubs in Kern County before opening Sherwood Forest with his parents in the 1970s. Sherwood is now owned and operated by Bob Paniccia.