A Florida police officer allegedly lived in a deceased pensioner's home for four years, using the man's identity to renovate the property and increase its value to over $500,000. Brian Louis Sguros, 35, a Lauderhill police officer, now faces five felony charges.
Discovery of the Deceased
In July 2022, Sguros responded to a welfare check on Dennis Ionis West, 71, after a neighbour reported not seeing him for a week. Sguros and another officer found West deceased in the front entrance of his South Florida home. Officials ruled the death as natural, citing cardiovascular disease as the cause, according to local news outlet WPLG.
Sguros reportedly claimed to have been friends with West, even offering to arrange his funeral if no family members came forward. However, shortly after, he allegedly commandeered the home, moved in with his partner, and spent years renovating the property while paying taxes and utility bills.
Renovations and Identity Use
Sguros claimed he used $214,000 of his own money to restore the house, which WPLG said was to 'deter criminal activity and squatters'. A neighbour, Lethel Haye, expressed confusion at how quickly Sguros acquired the property. '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,' she said.
Sguros also reportedly used West's identity to gain permits for replacing doors and windows for $8,000. He allegedly forged paperwork using West's driver's license and signature to prove the deceased was alive and owned the property. He then hired a construction company that believed West was alive and had requested the renovations.
Discovery and Arrest
The scheme unravelled when Equinox Realty Holding, a Florida-registered real estate investment firm, connected with West's heirs and informed them about the property. Sguros handed over the keys but was later arrested after trying to sue the heirs for renovation reimbursements.
The Broward Sheriff's Office alleged: 'Sguros represented himself to the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office as West's friend although there is no indication he knew West, and stated that West had no living family, which was untrue.' The firm's lawyer found Sguros had allegedly abused his law enforcement role, using his work computer to obtain West's DMV and Social Security records. Records show he also searched West's name on multiple occasions.
Charges and Status
In July, Sguros was suspended with pay, but since his arrest, he has been placed on unpaid leave and is reportedly held at the Broward County Jail. He faces charges of official misconduct, criminal use of a deceased person's personal identification information, criminal use of personal identification information, offence against a computer user, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar called the allegations troubling, saying, '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.'
