On Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office announced that 35‑year‑old Brian Louis Sguros, a Lauderhill police officer, was taken into custody on charges of official misconduct, falsifying documents, and computer fraud for assuming the identity of 71‑year‑old Dennis West and seizing West’s Lauderhill home. Sguros was held on a $25,000 bond and placed on administrative leave without pay.
The case dates back to July 11, 2022, when West was found dead in his Lauderhill residence, a death ruled natural by the medical examiner. Sguros, who had no prior connection to West, first posed as a friend, lying to the examiner about the absence of family, and then cremated West’s body, moving it into the very house he would later occupy.
According to a BSO detective, Sguros leveraged his official access codes to pull private law‑enforcement data on West, using the information to file a property claim in February 2025 and obtain a renovation permit under West’s name—complete with a forged signature.
When the property appraiser’s office received the claim, Sguros and his spouse filed an affidavit that they were the rightful owners, while the sheriff’s office began a forensic audit of the permit paperwork. The audit revealed that the permit’s signature did not match West’s handwriting, prompting the department to suspend Sguros and launch a criminal investigation.
Sguros’s arrest follows a broader scrutiny of police conduct in Broward County, with the department pledging a review of internal access protocols. A trial is scheduled for early 2027, where the officer will face the felony charges of identity theft, property fraud and unauthorized use of law‑enforcement databases.