A Florida police officer has been arrested for illegally possessing a deadman’s home and taking over his identity for years after discovering his body during a wellness check.

According to reports, in 2022, the officer identified as Brian Sguros was summoned to the home of Dennis West to conduct a welfare check, during which it was discovered that he had passed. His death was later ruled to be of natural causes by the medical examiner.

It’s, however, understood that Officer Sguros became immediately involved in West’s post-death affairs, including claiming to be a friend of the deceased, having discovered that he had no living family, deputies recall, the report said.

Claims that investigators said were false and were part of a scheme to take over the property. It’s alleged that the officer later assumed the identity of the late West after moving in, even paying property taxes and bills in the deceased’s name for years before his arrest.

In Feb. 2025, Sguros filed paperwork with the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office claiming his possession of the property dated back to Aug. 2022, just weeks after West died, according to BSO

He’s reportedly facing several felony charges following a joint investigation by the Broward Sheriff’s Office and Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office Crimes Against Property Unit, as per Fox13 Tampabay