Florida cop finds dead man. Then 4 years later, the officer is arrested after police uncover elaborate alleged scheme.

A Florida police officer who discovered a dead man during a welfare check is accused of exploiting the man's death to carry out an elaborate scheme that allegedly continued for years, according to authorities.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that 35-year-old Brian Louis Sguros was arrested last Monday. Sguros — a Lauderhill Police Department officer — was booked 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 a two-way communication device.

'Sguros represented himself to the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office as West's friend, although there is no indication he knew West, and stated that West had no living family, which was untrue.'

WTVJ-TV reported that Sguros appeared in court Wednesday, when a judge set his bond at $25,000.

Following his arrest, the Lauderhill Police Department placed Sguros on administrative leave without pay.

On July 11, 2022, Sguros responded as a backup officer to a welfare check at the home of 71-year-old Dennis West in Lauderhill, which is about five miles west of Fort Lauderdale.

Police said West was found dead inside the home.

Citing Sguros' arrest affidavit, NBC News reported that the medical examiner determined that West died of natural causes from arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office said Sguros "became involved in West’s post-death affairs."

"For instance, Sguros represented himself to the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office as West's friend, although there is no indication he knew West, and stated that West had no living family, which was untrue," the police statement read.

Bodycam footage from the 2022 welfare check showed no indication that Sguros knew West, police said.

According to authorities, Sguros paid the property taxes and utility bills from the home in West's name.

USA Today obtained property records showing Sguros had paid over $2,500 in taxes on the home, though it remained registered to West's estate.

Sguros also used West's identification to secure a home repair permit from the city of Lauderhill.

A detective said Sguros forged West's signature on the home repair permit.

An August 2024 permit application seeking approval to replace windows and doors at the home for $8,000 listed West as the owner, and the application included his driver's license information and contained a signature purportedly belonging to him, despite his death two years earlier, according to USA Today, which added that the phone number on the application belonged to Sguros.

Officials with the home remodeling company believed the homeowner was alive.

Court documents said the notary whose name and information appeared on the permit told investigators that the signature was not hers and added that she did not believe the notary stamp on the documents was hers, either.

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Investigators also said Sguros utilized his access to law enforcement databases to obtain information about West.

Court records said Sguros launched seven database searches related to West, which were conducted from his work-issued computer between July 2022 and January 2023. Those searches disclosed West's Social Security number, date of birth, address, and other information, according to the court docs

The Broward County Sheriff's Office and the Broward County Property Appraiser began an investigation into Sguros after the Lauderhill Police Department provided information about a possible crime.

In February 2025, Sguros and his spouse filed paperwork with the Broward County Property Appraiser seeking to claim ownership of the home, according to the affidavit.

Months later, a real estate company bought the property from West's heirs, according to court documents.

USA Today reported that the real estate company raised concerns with authorities about Sguros' involvement with the property when one of its employees encountered Sguros when they attempted to take possession of the property in the fall of 2025.

The affidavit said Sguros surrendered the keys to the property to the real estate company, but he "demanded reimbursement for repairs and improvements he claimed to have made."

According to NBC News, Sguros filed a complaint against the real estate company in February, saying in filings that he found West in the home while he was on duty and adding that he subsequently began to clean, secure, and invest in the property.

NBC News reported that Sguros did not explain in his court filings how he obtained possession of the property.

Citing the arrest affidavit, USA Today reported that Sguros said in civil court that he spent at least $214,000 on repairs and improvements to the home, increasing its value to about $500,000.

Sguros claimed he paid for the work to prevent squatters and criminal activity, according to the affidavit.

Police noted that the investigation remains ongoing.

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