An officer for the Lauderhill Police Department in Florida has been accused of assuming the identity of a man he found dead and trying to take possession of the man’s house.
Brian Louis Sguros, 35, participated in a welfare check for Dennis West in 2022, going to the man’s home in Lauderhill, roughly 25 miles north of Miami, with other officers. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office accused Mr. Sguros Tuesday of getting involved in West’s post-death affairs and moving into his home.
Mr. Sguros, the sheriff’s office said, told the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office he was West’s friend even though the two did not know each other, and also falsely said that West, 71, had no living family.
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Mr. Sguros is accused of improperly using police databases to access information about West. The sheriff’s office also accused Mr. Sguros of paying the taxes and utility bills for the house and using West’s identification information and a forged signature to obtain permits to make repairs at the home.
A neighbor of West’s who provided only her first name, Naomi, told WSVN-TV that Mr. Sguros “was working on the house for a good while, and tore down everything on the inside, put up new stuff and everything” and that he told her and her family that he was planning to rent the property out as an Airbnb.
Another neighbor of West’s, Lethel Haye, told WPLG-TV, “I was wondering, Dennis had just passed away and how could he have gotten the house so quick. He was like taking out all the rotten boards and everything inside and putting it outside, and at one point, they were living in there.”
In February 2025, Mr. Sguros filed documents with the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office claiming that he had owned the property since shortly after West’s death.
Mr. Sguros is facing felony charges including official misconduct, criminal use of deceased personal identification, criminal use of personal identification information, offense against a computer user and unlawful use of a two-way communication device, the sheriff’s office said.
He was released from jail on a $25,000 bond and appeared in court Wednesday, according to WSVN-TV.
Mr. Sguros has been on administrative leave from the Lauderhill Police Department with pay since July when the investigation began, according to WTVJ-TV.
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