After nearly a day of sometimes tearful testimony from the daughter of a theft victim in his 70s, defense attorney Chuck Smith tried to poke holes in the daughter’s version of the events leading up to her wealthy father’s death.
Smith is representing Gina Abercrombie, the stepdaughter of Sanger businessman and golf professional Randy Hansen. The Fresno County District Attorney has accused Abercrombie and her boyfriend Justin Teel of stealing more than $700,000 from Hansen’s estate.
Abercrombie and Teel, both of Pleasanton, are charged with theft from an elder adult and obtaining money, labor or property by false pretenses. They face five years in prison if found guilty on all charges.
Teel, who has a previous conviction for mortgage fraud more than 20 years ago, is being represented by Deputy Public Defender Joshua Roberts.
Hansen, who died in 2020, was the operator of the 18-hole Sherwood Forest Golf Club, an adjacent 50-space mobile home park, an almond orchard, and several homes, including a $3 million beach house in Aptos .
Through most of the trial that began Monday, prosecutor Lisa Urrizola portrayed Hansen’s biological child Stacy Hansen Dovali as a dutiful daughter who stepped in to help her father run the family’s golf course after he suffered a stroke in 2017.
Urrizola said Dovali took on management of the course that was struggling to pull in golfers. Along with running the golf course, Dovali also took her father to doctor’s appointments, brought him lunch, and drove him to meet with a lawyer who specialized in estate planning.
Urrizola asked Dovali directly if she ever tried to influence her father’s decisions about dividing up his assets.
“When my dad told me he finalized his trust, I never asked who gets what,” Dovali said. “We would find out when the trust was read, that’s how it goes.”
During his cross-examination of Dovali, Smith said the Hansens were not always a happy family. There was animosity between the stepsisters who were not close and have avoided each other in the courtroom.
“Did you consider Gina an enemy or a rival of your father’s affection,” Smith asked Dovali? “You perceived Gina as someone who jeopardized your ability to inherit your father’s estate, didn’t you.”
Dovali denied Smith’s allegations.
Smith also questioned Dovali about her devotion to her father. He reminded the jury of Dovali’s earlier testimony that she was shut out of her father’s life by Abercrombie and those loyal to her, including the family’s caretaker.
Dovali accused the caretaker of spreading rumors that she was trying to poison her father and to not trust her. She testified that the caretaker’s behavior became more erratic and threatening.
Smith asked Dovali if she was so concerned about her father’s safety and the caretaker’s behavior, why not ask her stepsister for help.
“It never entered my mind to ask Gina for help,” Dovali testified. “I don’t know how she would be able to help.”
Smith also brought up the sale of the home in Aptos, that was supposed to be given to Abercrombie but was later sold by the family trust, whose sole beneficiary was Dovali.
The home sold in 2022 for $3.6 million and Smith said Dovali pocketed $1.9 milllion from the sale. Dovali also inherited the golf course that is valued at between $3 million and $5 million, and the mobile home park, valued at about $600,000.
Smith prodded further into the strained relationship between the stepsisters. He asked Dovali why she left her stepsister’s name out of Hansen’s obituary after his death in 2020.
“I didn’t feel it was necessary,” she said. “When I placed his obit, I never thought about even putting her in there.”
The trial continues Friday.
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A Valley native, Robert has worked at The Fresno Bee since 1994, covering various topics including education, business, courts and agriculture.