A welfare check and a false story

Brian Louis Sguros, a 35-year-old officer with the Lauderhill police department near Miami, was part of a team sent to check on a resident in July 2022 after a worried neighbor called. The Broward Sheriff's Office said the 71-year-old man was found dead in his home and that the death was attributed to natural causes linked to cardiovascular disease. Within weeks, the sheriff's office says, Sguros started what it calls a complex scheme to gain control of the house by inserting himself into the man's affairs after death. He told the county medical examiner's office he was the man's friend, although investigators say there is no sign the two knew each other. He also said the man had no living family, which the authorities say was untrue.

Renovations and a claim to ownership

Sguros took possession of the property in August 2022, according to his own sworn filings. From August 2022 to February 2025 he cleaned and repaired the home, spending at least $214,000 of what he described as his own money, according to the 21-page arrest affidavit. In those filings he said he took over the house because it was hazardous and he wanted to prevent criminal activity and squatting. The affidavit says he paid the property taxes and utilities in the dead man's name. A neighbor said he told her he planned to rent the house out on Airbnb and claimed the man had given him the property before he died.

Forged papers and database searches

The affidavit alleges that Sguros used police databases from his work computer to obtain the man's driver's license record, date of birth and Social Security number. He is also accused of forging the man's signature on several documents and of using the man's identification to make it appear he was still alive, which allowed him to obtain a permit from the city of Lauderhill for repairs. In 2024 a contractor came to replace the front door and some windows, and Sguros told the contractor the man was unavailable. According to the police report, the contractor was never told the man had died. In February 2025, Sguros and his partner filed a claim with the Broward property appraiser's office seeking to establish ownership of the house.

How the scheme came to light

A real estate company that wanted to buy the property traced the man's heirs, according to reports. After the company bought the house, its staff found Sguros inside. He handed over the keys, but he had already started a civil lawsuit to recover the $214,000 in renovation costs. That case raised enough questions that authorities opened a criminal investigation. Authorities now suspect him of fraud, identity misuse and unlawfully taking the property, while his defense is that he moved in to prevent squatting.

Charges and status

Sguros was arrested on Tuesday, 20 October, on charges including abuse of office, criminal use of a deceased person's identification, criminal use of personal identifying information and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. He appeared in court on Wednesday, 21 October. Reports say the department placed him on leave without pay. The charges cover a scheme that ran from the 2022 welfare check to the 2025 ownership claim. The reports do not yet include a plea or a verdict.