Police Officer Accused of Identity Theft After Deceased Man’s Death

A police officer is facing serious charges for allegedly using the identity of a deceased man to take over his residence in Lauderhill, Florida. The officer in question has been identified as 35-year-old Brian Louis Sguros, who works for the Lauderhill Police Department, according to reports from KTUL.

The investigation began after the police department shared details about a potential crime, prompting involvement from other agencies, including the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office Crimes Against Property Unit.

According to the sheriff’s office, Sguros had responded to a welfare check on a resident back in 2022. Upon discovering the individual, 71-year-old Dennis West, deceased from natural causes, he allegedly devised a complex plan to assume control of West’s home.

Sguros has been charged with several offenses, including official misconduct, criminal use of deceased personal identification, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

Details from the sheriff’s office reveal that Sguros acted as a backup officer during the welfare check at West’s residence. Following West’s death, Sguros purportedly misrepresented himself as West’s friend to the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office, wrongly claiming that West had no living relatives.

Further inquiries indicated that Sguros paid property taxes and utility bills under West’s name. He reportedly used West’s identity to falsely obtain a city permit for repairs on the property. Additionally, investigators discovered that Sguros forged West’s signature on this permit and accessed law enforcement databases to gather information about West.

A neighbor commented that she was unaware of the officer’s actions regarding the house. She mentioned, “We actually thought he went down to the courthouse, had some type of paperwork for him to actually get the house because I was like it was that easy?”

Reports indicate that West’s relatives had sold the property to a company named Equinox. When the company attempted to take possession, they found Sguros living there and subsequently alerted the authorities.

The investigation remains ongoing, with law enforcement continuing to delve into the matter.