Dennis West, 71, was found dead in his Florida home in July 2022 during a welfare check. A few weeks later, one of the police officers who discovered his body decided to steal the man’s identity by forging his signature, paying his taxes, and taking possession of and renovating his home, authorities say.
Brian Louis Sguros, an officer with the Lauderhill Police Department, was arrested Tuesday after he “created a complex scheme to take control” of the dead man’s house, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Sguros, 35, was arrested on felony 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 communications device.
Detectives said Sguros “became involved in West’s post-death affairs” and represented himself to the county medical examiner’s office as West’s friend, though there is no indication he knew him. Sguros said that West, who died of natural causes, had no living family, which was not true.
The investigation also found that Sguros paid the taxes and utilities for the house under West’s name and got approval to renovate West’s home with the dead man’s identification by forging his signature on the permit application. Detectives said Sguros used his access to the police database to look up details about West, including inquiries for his date of birth, driver’s license record, and Social Security number.
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The scheme was uncovered after West’s heirs sold the property to a real estate company. When one of their employees tried to take possession of the house, he was met by Sguros, who handed over the keys before the company’s attorney filed an unlawful detainer action, according to the affidavit.
Sguros then filed a complaint against the company, saying that he found West on duty, cleaned up the house, and invested in the property, but he did not say how he came into possession of the house, according to the affidavit.
According to paperwork Sguros filed in February 2025, he claimed he had been in ownership of the house since August 2022 — a few weeks after West’s body had been discovered — and said in the affidavit that he spent at least $214,000 of his own money to clean up and repair the property. He demanded that the company reimburse him for the repairs and improvements he said to have made.
In sworn statements, Sguros said he took control of the house to prevent any criminal activity and squatters.
After his arrest, he was placed on administrative leave without pay from the police department, according to NBC South Florida. The outlet said Sguros appeared in court on Wednesday and was ordered held on a $25,000 bond.
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