A 35-year-old Florida police officer, Brian Louis Sguros, was arrested after allegedly assuming the identity of Dennis West, a 71-year-old man found dead in his Lauderhill home in July 2022. Sguros reportedly told the coroner he was West’s friend and that West had no surviving family, then used the man’s personal information, moved into the house and paid its property taxes and utility bills. He also allegedly forged West’s signature to obtain a permit for renovations.

The alleged fraud came to light in 2025 when a real estate company tracing West’s heirs sought to take over the property. After the company bought the house, Sguros handed over the keys but began civil proceedings seeking $214,000 for renovation costs. He is suspected of fraud, identity abuse and unlawful appropriation of property. Sguros said he had moved into the house to protect it from being broken into, and had reportedly been suspended without pay.