Lauderhill Officer Arrested, Accused of Using Dead Man's Identity to Claim His Home

A Lauderhill police officer has been arrested on accusations that he used the identity of a man whose body he helped discover in order to take control of the man's home, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office.

Brian Louis Sguros was taken into custody on Oct. 20, 2026, nearly four years after the case began. He faces charges of 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.

According to the arrest report, Sguros was serving with the Lauderhill Police Department on July 11, 2022, when he arrived as backup for a welfare check at a home on N.W. 12th Street. Authorities found a man, identified as Dennis West, dead inside. The Medical Examiner concluded that West died of natural causes.

Deputies said that soon after the death, Sguros inserted himself into matters that followed it. He allegedly told the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office that he was West's friend and that West had no living family. Detectives said both statements were false, and their investigation indicated the officer most likely never knew West while he was alive.

Officials allege that over the following years, Sguros carried out an elaborate scheme meant to gain control of West's house and belongings. Investigators said he accessed law enforcement databases on several occasions to gather information about West.

Detectives also said Sguros paid the property's taxes and utility bills in West's name for years, giving the impression that West was still alive. They further allege he forged West's signature on a document used to obtain a permit for repairs at the house.

In February 2025, the sheriff's office said, Sguros submitted paperwork to the Broward County Property Appraiser's Office asserting that his possession of the property went back to August 2022, only weeks after West's death.

The information comes from the Broward County Sheriff's Office, a news release and the arrest affidavit. It was not immediately clear whether Sguros remains employed by the Lauderhill Police Department.