A Florida police officer faces multiple felony charges after allegedly stealing a dead man's identity to take over his home for four years. Brian Louis Sguros, 35, is accused of forging documents and paying bills in the name of the deceased homeowner to carry out the scheme.
Sguros, an officer with the Lauderhill Police Department, was arrested on Tuesday (October 20) in South Florida. He allegedly posed as the dead man's friend and forged paperwork to make it appear the owner was still alive.
Welfare Check Discovery
The scheme began with a welfare check in July 2022, when officers were called to a home and discovered the body of 71-year-old Dennis Ionis West, who had died of natural causes. Prosecutors allege Sguros later represented himself to the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office as West's friend, despite no indication he knew West, and falsely stated West had no living family.
Investigators say that within weeks of West's death, Sguros took over the vacant property and moved in. Neighbours claim the place was stripped out and remodelled, with one neighbour, Lethel Haye, saying: "I was wondering, Dennis had just passed away and how could he have gotten the house so quick. He was like taking out all the rotten boards and everything inside and putting it outside, and at one point, they were living in there."
Unauthorised Database Searches
Cops allege Sguros exploited his position to access West's personal details, using a police-issued computer to run unauthorised searches for the dead man's Social Security number, driver's licence information and DMV records. He then allegedly used the identity to keep the house under his control, paying property taxes and more than $2,500 (£1,975) in utility bills under West's name.
Prosecutors claim he forged West's signature and used "smaller-than-normal" notary stamps to secure city building permits for new windows and doors, more than two years after West's death. According to an affidavit, Sguros acknowledged in sworn court documents that he took possession of the property around August 1, 2022.
Scheme Unravelled
The plot unravelled after real estate firm Equinox Realty Holding became involved in 2025 and traced West's legal heirs. Sguros reportedly agreed to hand over the keys but demanded repayment for renovations, claiming he'd spent $214,000 (£169,000) fixing up the home. When the family refused, he allegedly filed a civil lawsuit against them in February.
The move reportedly backfired when the heirs' attorney uncovered alleged misuse of police databases and complained to the department. Following a joint investigation by the Broward Sheriff's Office and the Property Appraiser's Office, Sguros was suspended and then arrested.
Sguros is being held at Broward County Jail. Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar said: "We hold police officers in the highest regard because they take an oath to protect the public. This case is so troubling because this officer has been charged with using his position to defraud the public."
