Police officer accused of taking over dead man's home and renovating it

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 15:38 · Archive

A Florida police officer is accused of moving into a dead man's house and spending over $200,000 renovating it after discovering his body.

Brian Louis Sguros, a 35-year-old officer with Florida's Lauderhill Police Department, has been arrested following an investigation into allegations that he took control of a dead man's home and renovated it. Sguros and another officer discovered Dennis Ionis West's body during a welfare check at West's house in Lauderhill on 11 July 2022, after a concerned neighbour reported not seeing him for two weeks. An autopsy determined West died of cardiovascular disease.

According to court documents, despite having no prior connection to West, Sguros described himself as the dead man's friend when speaking to the medical examiner's office and offered to oversee his funeral. He then allegedly moved into the property and spent $214,000 renovating it whilst its legal ownership remained tied to West. The most serious allegation concerns a building permit application submitted more than two years after West's death, which investigators say carried West's personal details and signature.

Sguros faces five criminal charges: official misconduct, criminal use of a deceased person's identification information, criminal use of personal identification information, an offence against a computer user, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device. Police Chief Constance Stanley stated that 'wearing this badge does not put anyone above the law' and that the department expects its officers to uphold their oath to protect residents.

How it is being reported

• Police officer accused of taking over dead man’s home and stealing his identity so he could renovate itBrian Louis Sguros, an officer with Florida’s Lauderhill Police Department, found the homeowner dead during a welfare checkIndependent World · 21 Oct, 15:07
• Police officer called to welfare check found a man dead in his home... and then decided to move into the house and take it over, prosecutors allegeFlorida cop Brian Louis Sguros allegedly made himself at home after discovering a dead man's body - moving into his house and spending $214,000 renovating itDaily Mail · 21 Oct, 01:19

In this story: Brian Louis Sguros · Dennis Ionis West · Lauderhill Police Department · Broward Sheriff's Office · Lauderhill · Florida

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