A Florida police officer is facing serious accusations for allegedly taking over a deceased man’s home, assuming his identity, and renovating the property over four years. This all came to light when he attempted to sue the deceased man’s heirs for reimbursement of the renovation costs.
Brian Louis Sguros, a Lauderhill Police officer, was arrested on Tuesday for charges of fraud and falsifying official documents after he took control of a house in South Florida that belonged to Dennis Ionis West.
Sguros, 35, was one of the officers who responded to a welfare check at West’s residence on July 11, 2022. A neighbor had called 911 after being concerned about the 71-year-old man who hadn’t been seen for over a week, as reported by WPLG.
West was discovered deceased at his front entrance, with the cause of death later determined to be cardiovascular disease.
In the wake of West’s death, Sguros claimed he was a friend of the deceased and even offered to arrange a funeral for him if no family members could be located.
However, the Broward Sheriff’s Office stated that Sguros represented himself to the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office as a friend of West, despite there being no evidence to support this claim. He also inaccurately stated that West had no living relatives.
Sometime later, on August 1, Sguros illegally took possession of West’s home and later admitted this in a sworn court document.
He claimed that he invested over $214,000 of his own money into fixing the dilapidated home, arguing that it was to protect the property from criminal activity and squatters, according to WPLG.
The renovations included significant repairs and cleaning, which reportedly increased the property value to about $500,000.
Sguros is accused of using West’s identity to obtain permits for an $8,000 project to replace windows and doors.
The paperwork he submitted claimed West was still alive and included the deceased man’s driver’s license and signature.
The construction company hired by Sguros was misled into believing West was living, based on the documents provided.
Furthermore, the allegedly fraudulent paperwork suggested that West had appeared before a notary to sign these documents in August 2024. The notary, however, denied knowledge of the documents, asserting that the signature wasn’t hers and that the notary stamp used was different from the one she typically uses.
It’s also alleged that Sguros misused his position as a police officer to access West’s DMV and Social Security records through his department-issued computer.
The case unfolded when Equinox Realty Holding approached the rightful heirs of West, who were interested in reclaiming the house.
Sguros ended up agreeing to turn over the keys to the heirs but, interestingly, filed a civil lawsuit in February 2026, asking for reimbursement for the extensive renovations he claimed to have performed.
A formal complaint was lodged against Sguros with the Lauderhill Police Department after the realty company’s lawyer discovered that he had allegedly misused his police role to gather information about West.
Sguros began working for the department in March 2021 and was initially placed on paid administrative leave back in July. Following his arrest, he has since been put on unpaid leave.
He is confronting multiple charges, including falsifying official documents as a public servant, fraud related to the use of deceased persons’ identification, fraud for impersonation over $5,000, and other computer crimes, with a total value exceeding $5,000.
As of now, he remains in custody at the Broward County Jail.
Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar expressed concern about the situation, emphasizing the high regard in which police officers are held due to their commitment to public safety. He described this case as troubling, commending the thorough investigation conducted by the BCPA Crimes Against Property Team and the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
