A Florida police officer who discovered a man dead during a welfare check stole his house and identity and spent years renovating the property for himself, authorities said.

Brian Louis Sguros, 35, an officer with the Lauderhill police department near Miami, appeared in court Wednesday on charges including criminal use of a deceased person’s identification.

Sguros was part of a team sent to check on a Lauderhill resident, Dennis West, in July 2022, after the department received a call from a worried neighbor, a press release from the Broward sheriff’s office (BSO) said. West was found deceased in the home of natural causes.

Within weeks, the officer embarked on what BSO said was “a complex scheme to take control of the individual’s home” by involving himself in West’s post-death affairs.

“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 press release said.

“The investigation also revealed that Sguros paid the taxes and utilities at the home in West’s name and used West’s identification to make it appear that West was still alive to get the city of Lauderhill to issue a permit to facilitate repairs.”

A 21-page arrest affidavit alleges Sguros forged West’s signature on multiple documents, and between August 2022 and February 2025 spent more than $210,000 of his own money upgrading the property, including replacing doors and windows in 2024.

The affidavit said that Sguros, in sworn statements and civil pleadings, maintained he took possession of the property and worked on it “because it was hazardous and he wanted to prevent criminal activity and people from squatting”, NBC Miami reported.

During that time, Sguros allegedly used law enforcement databases to improperly access West’s driver’s license record, date of birth, social security number, and other personal information.

Then in February 2025, he and his spouse filed a claim with the Broward property appraiser’s office seeking to establish a claim to ownership, the affidavit said.

A neighbor told WSVN TV that Sguros often talked with her, and told her he was renovating the property with a plan to rent it out on Airbnb. She said Sguros told her West was his friend, and had given him the property before he died.

The alleged scam came to light in August 2025 when a real estate company that bought the property legally from West’s heirs sent an employee to take possession and encountered Sguros, NBC reported.

Sguros surrendered the keys, but filed civil litigation against the real estate company demanding compensation for the money he had invested in renovations, the news outlet said.

The officer was placed on administrative leave with pay following his arrest on Tuesday after a months-long investigation by BSO detectives. He appeared in court in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday on charges including official misconduct and criminal use of deceased person’s identification, and was released on $25,000 bond.

Sguros could not be reached for comment, and it is unclear if he is represented by an attorney.