Florida Police Officer Accused of Squatting in Dead Man’s Home Using His ID

LAUDERHILL, Fla. — A Florida police officer is accused of using a deceased man’s identity and taking over his home after helping locate the man’s body during a welfare check.

Brian Louis Sguros, 35, a Lauderhill police officer, responded in July 2022 to a welfare check involving a 71-year-old man who had died of natural causes, according to an arrest affidavit. Investigators say Sguros later used the man’s personal information to secure a building permit and spent years making improvements to the property.

Sguros told investigators that he spent at least $214,000 of his own money on the home, raising its value to about $500,000, according to the 21-page affidavit. He said his goal was to keep squatters and criminal activity away from the property.

Sguros was arrested Oct. 20 and placed on unpaid leave. He faces charges that include criminal use of a deceased person’s identification, official misconduct and an offense against a computer user.

Property records show that Sguros paid more than $2,500 in utility bills and taxes for the home, even though it remained registered to the deceased man’s estate.

An August 2024 permit application sought approval for $8,000 in window and door replacements. The application identified the deceased man as the property owner, included his driver’s license information and carried a signature allegedly attributed to him, despite his death two years earlier. The phone number on the application belonged to Sguros.

An employee of the company hired for the work told investigators that Sguros supplied the required documents, including a copy of the dead man’s driver’s license. According to court records, company officials believed the property owner was still alive.

The notary whose name and information appeared on the application told detectives that the signature was not hers and that she did not believe the notary stamp belonged to her either.

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Sguros is also accused of improperly accessing law enforcement databases to gather information about the property owner. Using his department-issued computer, he conducted seven searches involving the deceased man between July 2022 and January 2023.

Body-camera footage from the welfare check did not indicate that Sguros knew the man who had died.

Despite that, Sguros identified himself to the medical examiner’s office as the deceased man’s friend. He also offered to arrange the funeral if relatives could not be found.

The man’s heirs and a realty company later uncovered Sguros’ involvement, prompting an investigation.

Sguros eventually turned over the home’s keys but sought repayment for the improvements he said he had funded. In February 2026, he filed a civil lawsuit seeking an equitable lien against the property based on the money he claimed to have spent on renovations.

The realty company also filed a complaint with the Lauderhill Police Department, raising concerns about Sguros’ connection to the home.

Lauderhill is in Broward County.

The city is about 10 miles from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Editor’s note: This story was first published by our news partners, the Florida Times-Union.