- Florida cop Brian Sguros arrested for assuming identity of dead man Dennis West
- Sguros falsified documents, paid taxes, and lived in West's home after his death
- West died of natural causes, body cremated after Sguros claimed no family existed
In a disturbing case from the US, a Florida police officer found a dead man during a routine welfare check and assumed his identity to take control of his house. The accused, identified as 35-year-old Brian Louis Sguros of the Lauderhill Police Department, was arrested on Tuesday (Oct 20) for fraud, falsifying official documents, computer crimes to fraudulently obtain property, and using two-way communications to facilitate a felony.
Sguros appeared in court Wednesday (Oct 21) and was ordered held on a $25,000 bond. After his arrest, he was placed on administrative leave without pay from the police department.
"On Oct. 20, 2026, Brian Louis Sguros was arrested on charges of official misconduct, criminal use of deceased personal identification, criminal use of personal identification information, offense against computer user, and unlawful use of two-way communication device," the Broward County Sheriff's Office said.
As per the authorities, Sguros assumed he identity of 71-year-old Dennis West, who was found dead at his Lauderhill home on July 11, 2022. The medical examiner ruled that West died of natural causes from arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Sguros then got involved in the post-death affairs before lying to the medical examiner, claiming that West had no family while identifying himself as a friend. He then had West's body cremated and moved into his residence, according to a report in NBC News.
After moving into the house, Sguros started paying property taxes and utility bills, allegedly under West's name. He even used West's ID to obtain a permit to renovate the house.
"The Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) detective overseeing the investigation indicated that Sguros also forged West's signature on the permit," the police said.
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In February 2025, Sguros and his spouse filed a form with the Broward County Property Appraiser seeking to establish a claim to the home, according to the affidavit.
The lid over Sguro's operation was blown open after he allegedly used his personal access code to tap into law enforcement databases to collect information about West.
"Through the investigation, detectives said they found instances Sguros used his access to law enforcement databases to obtain information about West."
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