Former employee charged with theft from Geneva dance studio

A former employee of a Geneva dance studio faces charges of financial exploitation of an elderly person and theft of more than $100,000, court and police records show.

Desiree R. Cortez, 47, of Geneva was charged May 29 with three felonies: financial exploitation of an elderly person by illegally using more than $50,000 of assets; financial exploitation of an elderly person age 70 or older by a person in a position of trust for more than $15,000 of assets; and theft of over $100,000 but less than $500,000, according to the charging documents.

Cortez’s attorney did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Cortez was in charge of accounting and payroll for the Elise Flagg Academy of Dance, 319 W. State St., Geneva, for four years until she was fired Jan. 23, according to a 48-page police report.

According to the police report, Cortez made $258,669.46 in unauthorized personal purchases from June 1, 2022 through March 1.

Reports indicate police began investigating March 11 when the next employee to handle the dance company’s accounts reported the suspected theft.

Police detailed hundreds of transactions — so many that investigators created a spreadsheet to keep track, according to the report.

Cortez also is accused of using dance studio funds to pay for her daughter’s attendance at ballet camp in Pennsylvania and a high school trip to Europe; Amazon, DoorDash, UberEats, Verizon and Starbucks purchases; vacation travel expenses; and opened new credit cards and bank accounts in the dance company’s name, according to the report.

Cortez is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 1 for a preliminary hearing.