Florida cop finds dead man during welfare check, allegedly tried to take over his home, officials say
LAUDERHLL, Fla. - Years after a Florida police officer responded to a welfare check and found a man dead in his home, that same police officer has been arrested, accused of taking the man's identity and attempting to conduct repairs and take ownership of the man's home and property, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
Lauderhill police officer arrested
What we know:
On July 11, 2022, Brian Louis Sguros, who was an officer with the Lauderhill Police Department, responded as backup to a welfare check at a home on N.W. 12th Street in Lauderhill, Florida, according to the arrest report.
Authorities found a man, named Dennis West, dead inside the home. The Medical Examiner determined that West died of natural causes, the report said.
Shortly after West's death, deputies said Sguros became immediately involved in West's post-death affairs, including claiming that he was West's friend to the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office and that West had no living family.
Both claims were false, detectives said. The investigation revealed that the officer likely never knew West before his death.
Officials alleged over the years that Sguros devised a complex scheme in an attempt to take over West's home and property, including illegally accessing law enforcement databases to learn more about him.
Sguros was arrested nearly four years later on Oct. 20, 2026 on several charges:
- official misconduct
- criminal use of deceased personal identification
- criminal use of personal identification information
- offense against a computer user
- unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
Affidavit: Suspect pretended West was still alive, paid his bills for years
The backstory:
Detectives said Sguros paid the home's property taxes and utility bills in West's name for years, and forged West's signature on a document to get a permit to conduct repairs at West's home.
Investigators said Sguros accessed law enforcement databases multiple times to gather information on West.
In Feb. 2025, Sguros filed paperwork with the Broward County Property Appraiser's Office claiming his possession of the property dated back to Aug. 2022, just weeks after West died, according to BSO.
What we don't know:
It was not immediately clear if Sguro was still employed with the Lauderhill Police Department.
The Source: This story uses information gathered from the Broward County Sheriff's Office, a news release, and the arrest affidavit.