Former Bucks County officer charged, accused of using romance to trick elderly woman out of her estate

Former Bucks County officer charged with theft by deception

Carlito Cortez, 59, a former Langhorne cop has been charged with using romance to try to weasel an elderly woman out of her estate.

LANGHORNE, Pa. - A former Bucks County police officer has been arrested and charged with trying to take control of the estate of an elderly Langhorne woman.

What we know:

On Wednesday, there was no answer at the Richboro, Bucks County home of Carlito Cortez, the ex-Langhorne cop charged with using romance to try to weasel an elderly woman out of her estate. 

The Bucks County District Attorney's Office held a press conference Wednesday morning to announce the arrest of the former police officer on theft by deception charges. 

"This case is disturbing because someone in a position of trust and respect in the community, like a police officer, can never exploit that position, but this individual did just that with this victim," said Jennifer Schorn, the Bucks County District Attorney.

The DA spelled out how Cortez, who was working part-time as a Langhorne police officer, first met a 76-year-old Langhorne woman after she reported the theft of two rings valued at $25,000.

For over three years, Cortez is alleged to have tricked the woman into signing a bogus last will and testament.

He was also accused of moving into the victim's home for a short time.

"He had the victim believe that he loved her, that she expressed love for him and he exploited that," said DA Schorn.

Cortez, 59, also worked part-time for Yardley police where he was praised in a September 2018 Facebook post during National Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Married and living with his wife in Richboro for 31 years, investigators claim he pulled his mistress into the alleged scheme. 

"He had this victim hire her as a care provider, her personal care provider and brought her into the victim’s home to provide care when, in fact, when she was doing that she was not qualified," said the DA.

Tipped to Cortez’s alleged swindle by a neighbor, investigators eventually searched his home and found the woman’s legitimate will there. 

Cortez was arrested Tuesday and has been charged with theft by deception and related offenses. 

"It really doesn’t get much worse than this. This defendant’s actions are the definition of predatory and exploitative," said DA Schorn.