The Eyrie

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — A Florida police officer who found a man dead during a welfare check is accused of turning that death into a years-long scheme to take over the man’s house and identity, according to Broward sheriff’s officials.

Brian Louis Sguros, 35, an officer with the Lauderhill police department near Miami, appeared in court Wednesday on charges that include criminal use of a deceased person’s identification. Investigators say the case began after officers checked on Lauderhill resident Dennis West in July 2022 and found him dead of natural causes.

What followed, authorities allege, was an effort to make the property look as if it still belonged to West while Sguros quietly invested in it and tried to claim it for himself. Sguros was arrested Tuesday after a months-long investigation and has been placed on administrative leave with pay.

Investigators say the officer inserted himself into the aftermath of the death

The Broward sheriff’s office said Sguros quickly began involving himself in West’s post-death affairs within weeks of the discovery. In a press release, investigators said he presented himself to the Broward County medical examiner’s office as West’s friend, even though there is no indication he knew him.

Officials also said Sguros told authorities West had no living family, which was not true. That claim mattered because the investigation says it helped him position himself as the person managing the home and the deceased man’s affairs.

According to the sheriff’s office, the officer paid taxes and utilities at the house in West’s name and used West’s identification to make it appear that West was still alive so the city of Lauderhill would issue a repair permit.

A detailed affidavit describes forged signatures and database searches

A 21-page arrest affidavit says Sguros forged West’s signature on multiple documents while working to keep control of the property. The affidavit says that from August 2022 through February 2025, he spent more than $210,000 of his own money upgrading the home.

Those improvements reportedly included replacing doors and windows in 2024. In sworn statements and civil pleadings, the affidavit says, Sguros argued that he took over the property because it was hazardous and because he wanted to stop criminal activity and prevent people from squatting there.

Investigators also allege that he used law enforcement databases to improperly access West’s driver’s license record, date of birth, Social Security number and other personal information. Authorities say those searches were part of the effort to maintain the false impression that West was still alive.

Neighbors say he described plans to rent the home on Airbnb

The case took on a more unusual public face through conversations with neighbors. One neighbor told WSVN-TV that Sguros often spoke with her about the property and said he was renovating it with the goal of renting it out on Airbnb.

She also said he told her West was his friend and had given him the property before his death. That account contrasts with the sheriff’s office allegation that there was no indication Sguros knew West before the welfare check and that he misrepresented his connection to the deceased man.

The neighbor’s account is one of several pieces that investigators say helped show how Sguros portrayed himself to people around the property while working on it and spending heavily on improvements.

Legal fight began after West’s heirs sold the property

Authorities say the alleged scheme came to light in August 2025, when a real estate company that had legally bought the property from West’s heirs sent an employee to take possession and encountered Sguros. NBC Miami reported that he then surrendered the keys.

Even after that, the dispute did not end. The news outlet said Sguros filed civil litigation against the real estate company, seeking compensation for the money he said he had put into the renovations.

The case now appears to sit at the intersection of criminal allegations, property law and the question of how far an officer went in trying to turn a dead man’s home into an asset he could control.

Court appearance, bond and unanswered questions

Sguros appeared in Fort Lauderdale court Wednesday on charges including official misconduct and criminal use of a deceased person’s identification. He was released on $25,000 bond, according to authorities.

The Broward sheriff’s office said the arrest followed a months-long investigation by its detectives. Sguros has been placed on administrative leave with pay while the case moves through the courts.

He could not be reached for comment, and it is unclear whether he has legal representation. For now, the allegations leave a startling question at the center of the case: whether the officer who checked on a dead man then used his access, credentials and authority to try to take over the man’s home.