PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A former Bucks County officer was sentenced to house arrest and seven years of probation on Friday for manipulating an elderly woman into signing her estate over to him.
According to the Bucks County District Attorney’s office, 60-year-old Carlito Cortez worked part-time for both the Yardley Borough and Langhorne Borough Police Departments. Last year, he was charged following an investigation by Bucks County detectives, who determined he exploited his position of authority to build a relationship with an elderly Langhorne woman whom he was assigned to investigate following a theft at her home in 2020. Two rings, valued at $25,000, were stolen from her safe and never found.
Detectives found that their relationship had grown over three years, so much so that the woman said she had fallen in love with him. Officials said Cortez moved into her home for a few weeks and kept belongings there, but would also return to his Richboro home, where he lived with his wife.
During that time, he had manipulated the woman into signing a last will and testament that he had falsely presented as a power of attorney document in an attempt to gain control of her more than $500,000 estate.
The investigation into Cortez began in 2023 after a neighbor expressed concern about him taking advantage of the woman and spending long amounts of time at her house.
Cortez pleaded no contest to charges of criminal attempt to commit theft by deception, securing execution of documents by deception, and others in May of last year.
During Friday’s sentencing, the woman, now 77, said she lives in fear and keeps her home constantly locked, noting how difficult it is to resolve home repairs because of the trauma caused by Cortez.
“The reason I am coming forward with this now is to protect other women in the future from being influenced by promises of affection, scare tactics, or emotional abuse,” she wrote in her impact statement.
In addition to a 90-day house arrest and seven years of probation, Cortez must write an apology letter to the woman, complete a decision-making class and undergo a mental health evaluation.