A Florida police officer is accused of taking over a dead man’s home and using the man’s name for about four years to use it for himself.
Story Highlights
- Dennis West, 71, lived alone and was found dead in his Lauderhill, Florida, home in July 2022. Police officer Brian Louis Sguros, 35, was one of the officers who answered that call, and he is accused of taking over the home.
- Investigators say Sguros paid the taxes and utility bills in West’s name, as if West were still alive.
- He is accused of using West’s ID and forging his signature to get a city permit for new windows and doors.
- He faces charges including official misconduct and criminal use of a dead person’s identification.
- A judge set his bond at $25,000, and his department has put him on leave without pay.
Officer Accused Of Taking Dead Man’s Home And Name
Lauderhill police officer Brian Louis Sguros, 35, was arrested on Tuesday, October 20, after a months-long investigation by the Broward Sheriff’s Office and his own department. Officials say he took over the home of Dennis West, a 71-year-old Lauderhill man who lived alone, and used West’s identity to make it look like West was still alive and still the owner. The charges are for that scheme: claiming a dead man’s house and borrowing his name to keep it.
Sguros has said the work he did on the home was meant to protect the empty property from squatters, people who move into a home with no right to be there, and from crime, according to reports. He is accused, not convicted.
The case began with a welfare check, a visit police make when someone has not been seen for a while. On July 11, 2022, a neighbor called 911 because West had not been seen for about a week and had left groceries in his car. Officers found West dead inside. He had died of natural causes. Sguros was one of the backup officers who responded.
Forged Signature Allegedly Used To Fool Lauderhill Officials
Investigators say Sguros then told the county medical examiner, the office that handles deaths, that he was West’s friend and that West had no living family. Investigators say both claims were false and that there is no sign the two men had ever met. A neighbor said Sguros told people on the street that West had given him the house before he died.
The arrest report says Sguros paid the taxes and utilities on the home in West’s name and used West’s identification to get a city of Lauderhill repair permit. He is also accused of forging West’s signature on it. Reports describe the permit as an $8,000 job to replace windows and doors, with paperwork that listed West as the living owner. Investigators say he also used a notary’s name and seal on the application. A notary is an official who witnesses signatures.
In February 2025, Sguros filed paperwork with the Broward County Property Appraiser claiming he had held the home since August 2022, only weeks after West died. Investigators call it an adverse possession scheme. Adverse possession is a legal process that can let a person claim property they have openly held and paid taxes on for years.
Charges Include Official Misconduct And Identity Crimes
Sguros faces charges of official misconduct, criminal use of a dead person’s identification, criminal use of another person’s identification, a computer crime for using a computer to get property by fraud, and using a phone to help carry out a felony. Investigators say he used police computers without permission to look up West’s records and sent the permit papers from his cellphone.
He appeared before a judge on Wednesday, October 21, and bond was set at $25,000. Lauderhill police first relieved him of duty with pay in July, then moved him to leave without pay after his arrest. For a sworn officer, the accusation cuts two ways. It is a property crime, and it is also an alleged betrayal of the public trust that comes with a badge and access to records most citizens never see.
How The Case Came To Light
West’s lawful heirs, the relatives entitled to his property, were later found and wanted the house back, according to reports. Sguros sued them in February 2026 to recover what he said he spent fixing up the home. A lawyer for a real estate company working with the heirs then found that Sguros had used his police access to look up West, reports say. That led to a complaint to Lauderhill police on May 27 and the joint investigation that ended in his arrest.
Florida real estate groups warn that homes owned by people who have died are frequent targets for fraud, because there can be a long stretch before heirs step in. When the accused is a police officer sworn to stop this kind of crime, the betrayal lands harder for anyone who trusts law enforcement to guard the vulnerable, not raid them.
Conservatives have long argued that government power, including a badge and access to official databases, demands strict accountability, not a free pass. If these charges hold up in court, Sguros used his position and public systems to take a dead man’s name and home. West’s family deserves to see the case through to the end.
Sources:
wsvn.com, nbcmiami.com, local12.com, syracuse.com, yahoo.com, ibtimes.co.uk
