Florida officer accused of stealing dead man's identity and moving into his home, police say

Florida officer accused of stealing dead man's identity and moving into his home, police say

A Florida police officer is accused of taking the identity of a man he discovered dead during a welfare check and then moving into the man’s home, authorities say.

Brian Louis Sguros, 35, a Lauderhill, Florida police officer, was arrested this week by the Broward County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators say he impersonated the dead man, Dennis West, moved into the house where he found West dead, and later renovated the two-story South Florida home. Police say he lived there for years without being detected.

Sguros has not responded to the allegations. It is not yet clear whether he has a lawyer. He has been placed on administrative leave from the Lauderhill Police Department.

In 2022, police were called to check on 71-year-old Lauderhill resident Dennis West.

Officer Brian Louis Sguros was brought in as backup for the welfare check. After finding West dead of natural causes, he allegedly "created a complex scheme to take control of the individual's home," the Broward County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Investigators say Sguros told the medical examiner's office that he was West's friend, although authorities found no evidence the two knew each other, according to the news release. Court records say body camera footage from the welfare check showed the officer and did not indicate any prior relationship with the man.

He also allegedly told the county medical examiner that West had no living relatives, which authorities say was also false, the release says.

Sguros then had West's body cremated, according to the BBC's news partner CBS.

A joint investigation by the sheriff's office and the Broward County Property Appraiser's Office found that Sguros took over the home in August 2022 and moved in.

Authorities say that in 2025, he allegedly filed paperwork with the property appraiser's office saying his possession dated back to August 2022.

Sguros said he took possession of the home because it was dangerous and he wanted to stop people from squatting, according to court documents.

He paid utility bills that were in the dead man's name. He also applied for a permit to replace exterior doors and windows, at a cost of $8,000 (£5970), according to court documents.

Sguros claimed he increased the property's value, spending more than $214,000 (£159,717) on the home, according to the sheriff's office.

He faces charges of official misconduct, criminal use of a deceased person's identification, criminal use of personal identification information, offense against a computer user, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

He was released from jail on a $25,000 bond.

Local law enforcement learned of the situation when West's heirs tried to sell the property, according to a police affidavit.

After Sguros eventually returned the keys to the property's rightful owners, he allegedly demanded reimbursement for the improvements he had made, court documents say.

The Lauderhill Police Department told BBC News that Sguros has been relieved of duty and placed on administrative leave with pay.