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Crucial mistake cop made after taking over dead man's identity and living in his house for four years
After using another man’s identity and living in his house for four years, therewas just one simple mistake that led to former police officer Brian Louis Sguros being arrested on allegations of fraud.
According to authorities, Sguros, 35, found a man dead at home during a welfare check in 2022 and lied to his colleagues, telling the medical examiner that he was good friends with Dennis West, 71, who he claimed had no living relatives.
Sguros came up with his cunning plan moments after finding West dead
Police have since revealed that Sguros was a backup officer at the scene during the welfare check when he decided to take over West's property and assume the man's identity.
Shortly after finding West deceased, Sguros moved into the house in Lauderhill, Florida, and began paying property taxes and utility bills, allegedly under West's name.
Allegedly, he even used West’s ID to obtain a permit to renovate the pad.
Despite getting away with using a fake identity for over four years and living a double life profiting off the death of an innocent man, Sguros eventually blew his own cover.
The big mistake he made was using his personal access code to tap into law enforcement databases to collect information about West.
Also, he later filed paperwork with Broward County in February 2025 stating that he had had West's home since August 2022, weeks after West had died.
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Sguros' scheme has caught up with him
On October 20, Sguros was arrested on multiple charges, including official misconduct, criminal use of a deceased person's identification, criminal use of personal identification information, offense against a computer user, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
A joint investigation by the sheriff's office and the Broward County Property Appraiser's Office Crimes Against Property Unit was sparked by concern from West’s extended family and a real estate company. Inevitably, it found that Sguros became involved in West's affairs after his death.
Investigators alleged that Sguros falsely represented himself to the medical examiner's office as West's friend, despite finding no indication that the two knew each other.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by USA TODAY, Sguros used West's personal information to obtain a building permit and spent years making improvements to the property.
Property records show that during this time he reportedly paid more than $2,500 in utilities and taxes on the home, although it remained registered to West's estate.