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A Florida police officer is accused of illegally taking over a dead man’s home, using his identity and renovating the residence over a span of four years, only to be caught when he sued the owner’s heirs for reimbursement for the renovations.
Lauderhill Police officer Brian Louis Sguros was arrested Tuesday and accused of fraud and falsifying official documents as a public servant in his years-long con after he took over the South Florida house owned by Dennis Ionis West.
Sguros, 35, was one of two officers who responded to a welfare check at West’s home on July 11, 2022, after a neighbor called 911 concerned for their 71-year-old neighbor they hadn’t seen in over a week, according to WPLG.
West was found dead inside his front entrance, with officials ruling his death natural, caused by cardiovascular disease, the outlet reported.
During the post-mortem exams on West, Sguros claimed to have been friends with the elderly homeowner and offered to arrange a funeral service for him if no family members were found.
“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 Broward Sheriff’s Office alleged, according to the South Florida SunSentinel.
Weeks later, on Aug. 1, Sguros took over possession of West’s house without any legal authority, later admitting to it in a sworn court document.
Sguros claimed he poured over $214,000 of his own money into refurbishing the crumbling home in an effort to protect it from criminal activity and squatters, according to WPLG.
The renovation, which included tearing down rotten boards and cleaning the home, improved the property value to about $500,000.
However, Sguros is accused of using West’s identity to get permits for an $8,000 project to replace windows and doors.
Sguros’ paperwork listed West as the living owner and included the deceased man’s driver’s license and signature.
The company hired by Sguros to complete some of the construction on the home believed West was alive based on the documents given to them; they told investigators.
The alleged fraudulent paperwork also appeared to show West had appeared in front of a notary to sign the documents in August 2024.
The notary, whose name was listed on the papers, denied knowing about the documents, telling investigators it wasn’t her signature and the notary stamp was smaller than the one she uses, according to the report.
Sguros is accused of using his position as a police officer to search West’s name on several occasions using his department-issued computer to obtain the dead man’s DMV and Social Security records.
The cop was only caught after Equinox Realty Holding approached with the rightful heirs of West who were interested in taking over the house.
Sguros agreed to hand over the keys to the rightful owners but filed a civil lawsuit in February 2026 seeking reimbursement for the extensive work he had put into the property.
A complaint was filed with the Lauderhill Police Department after the realty company’s lawyer found Sguros had allegedly misused his police duties to obtain information on West.
Sguros, who has worked for the department since March 2021, was suspended with pay back in July.
He has since been placed on unpaid leave after his arrest Tuesday.
He faces charges for falsifying official documents as a public servant, fraud – using the identification of a deceased person valued at $5,000, fraud – impersonation over $5,000, computer crime to defraud, obtain property and using two-way communications to commit a felony.
He is being held at the Broward County Jail according to inmate records.
“We hold police officers in the highest regard because they take an oath to protect the public,” Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar told WPLG.
“This case is so troubling because this officer has been charged with using his position to defraud the public. I want to thank our BCPA Crimes Against Property Team and the Broward Sheriff’s Office for their detailed and thorough investigation.”