Florida Officer Accused of Posing as Dead Man for 4 Years, Renovating Home

A Lauderhill police officer has been arrested and accused of illegally occupying a deceased man's home, assuming his identity, and undertaking extensive renovations over a four-year period. The scheme unraveled when the officer sued the deceased owner's heirs to recoup renovation costs.

Brian Louis Sguros, 35, was arrested Tuesday on charges of fraud and falsifying official documents as a public servant. The allegations stem from his alleged appropriation of the South Florida residence belonging to Dennis Ionis West.

Sguros, along with another officer, responded to a welfare check at West's home on July 11, 2022, after a neighbor reported not seeing the 71-year-old for over a week. West was found deceased inside his home, with the medical examiner ruling his death natural, caused by cardiovascular disease.

During the process of examining West's body, Sguros reportedly claimed to be a friend of the deceased and offered to arrange a funeral if no family members came forward. According to the Broward Sheriff's Office, Sguros represented himself to the Medical Examiner's Office as West's friend, despite no evidence of a prior relationship, and falsely stated that West had no living family.

Weeks later, on August 1, Sguros allegedly took possession of West's house without legal authority. He later admitted to this in a sworn court document, claiming he invested more than $214,000 of his own money into refurbishing the deteriorating home. Sguros stated his motivation was to protect the property from criminal activity and squatters, according to reports. The renovations, which included replacing rotten boards and cleaning the residence, reportedly increased its value to approximately $500,000.

However, Sguros is also accused of using West's identity to obtain permits for an $8,000 project to replace windows and doors. The paperwork allegedly listed West as the owner and included the deceased man's driver's license and signature. The construction company hired for the work reportedly believed West was alive based on the documentation provided.

The fraudulent paperwork also appeared to indicate West had appeared before a notary to sign the documents in August 2024. The notary named on the papers denied knowledge of the documents, stating that the signature and notary stamp were not hers and that the stamp was smaller than her official one.

Investigators allege Sguros used his position as a police officer to access West's name on his department-issued computer, obtaining the deceased man's DMV and Social Security records.

The officer's scheme reportedly came to light when a realty company, Equinox Realty Holding, approached West's rightful heirs about taking over the property. Following this, a complaint was filed with the Lauderhill Police Department after the realty company's lawyer discovered that Sguros had allegedly misused his police duties to gather information on West.

Sguros, who has been with the department since March 2021, was initially suspended with pay in July and has since been placed on unpaid leave following his arrest. He faces multiple charges, including falsifying official documents as a public servant, fraud for using the identification of a deceased person, impersonation, computer crime for fraud, and using two-way communication to commit a felony. He is currently being held at the Broward County Jail.

Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar commented on the case, stating, "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. I want to thank our BCPA Crimes Against Property Team and the Broward Sheriff’s Office for their detailed and thorough investigation."