A police officer was arrested in Florida.
The arrest of the Florida police officer charged with multiple felonies in connection with an alleged fraudulent scheme to take control of a deceased person’s home was announced in a joint press release between the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office and the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
Brian Sguros, while serving as a Lauderhill Police Officer in Broward County, Florida was arrested and charged on five counts of Official Misconduct, Criminal Use of Deceased Personal Identification, Criminal Use of Personal Identification Information, Offense Against Computer User, and Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device.
According to officials, on July 11, 2022, Brian Sguros responded as a backup officer to conduct a welfare check at 4551 NW 12th Street in the City of Lauderhill after a neighbor reported not seeing the homeowner, Dennis West, for approximately two weeks. West was found inside the residence deceased. A death investigation determined West died of natural causes.
According to the joint press release, information surfaced leading investigators to believe that Sguros thereafter assumed control of the decedent’s personal and financial affairs. Although no evidence had been found that Sguros knew the deceased homeowner, records from the Medical Examiner’s office documented that Sguros represented himself as a friend of the deceased and falsely stated Mr. West had no living family. According to investigators, Sguros offered to make funeral arrangements and took possession of the decedent’s remains.
The investigation ultimately determined Sguros’ alleged actions were motivated by an effort to gain control of West’s most valuable asset, a Lauderhill home valued at more than $400,000. Sguros allegedly used his position as a police officer to obtain access and information not otherwise available to him for his own personal benefit.
While acting in his official capacity as a Lauderhill police officer, Sguros is alleged to have taken possession of the decedent’s Florida driver’s license and used it as part of a fraudulent scheme to create the appearance West was still alive. Sguros is further alleged to have forged the decedent’s signature on a notarized building permit application submitted to the City of Lauderhill Building Department and on a contract provided to a company hired to perform work on the South Florida property.
Sworn statements indicated Sguros’ actions were intended to lead others to believe the decedent was alive and had personally authorized the work on his home. Through further investigation, the notary whose notary seal appears on the documents stated that she did not recognize the documents and that the signature on the documents was not hers, according to law enforcement.
“We want to thank the Lauderhill Police Department who acted swiftly and requested the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office Crimes Against Property Unit (CAP), which consists of detectives from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Hollywood Police Department, FDLE, and seasoned BCPA civilian investigators, to conduct this investigation in an effort to ensure transparency and independence,” the joint press release between the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office and the Broward Sheriff’s Office stated.
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