PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A former police officer in Bucks County faces criminal charges, accused of trying to trick an elderly woman into changing her will to make him the sole beneficiary.
Bucks County District Attorney Jen Schorn said 59-year-old Carlito Cortez was a part-time police officer in Langhorne in 2020, when he was assigned to investigate a theft of rings valued at $25,000 from a woman in her 70s. Those rings were never found and charges were never filed.
However, Cortez used his badge to learn the woman’s vulnerabilities, according to Schorn, then used those vulnerabilities to his advantage.
“His end goal was to become the designated recipient of her estate,” she said. “He succeeded when he surreptitiously had her sign a document she believed to be a medical power of attorney, when in fact it was a fraudulent last will and testament.”
Schorn says the forged will was never recovered, but officers found the woman’s original will in the Richboro home Cortez shares with his wife. The woman said she never gave Cortez permission to take that will.
“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,” said Schorn.
Cortez resigned from the Langhorne Police Department in the fall. He’s charged with official oppression, theft by deception, perjury, forgery, and related offenses.