Florida Police Officer Assumed Dead Man's Identity, Moved Into His Home

Imagine a police officer finds a man dead during a welfare check, then moves into that residence, renovates it, and lives there for 4 whole years while assuming the man's identity!

Well, that's what authorities say Brian Louis Sguros -- a cop in Lauderhill, FL -- did, which is why he's under arrest for fraud, falsifying official documents, computer crimes to fraudulently obtain property, and using two-way communications to facilitate a felony.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... Sguros was arrested Tuesday and booked into the jail without bail for the shocking 4-year-long caper he allegedly committed.

Cops say Sguros abused his authority as a police officer to assume the identity of 71-year-old Dennis West, who was found dead at his Lauderhill home back on July 11, 2022. Authorities said West died from natural causes, specifically cardiovascular disease.

Police say Sguros was a backup officer at the scene during the welfare check when he hatched his plan to take over West's property and assume the man's identity. 

Sguros allegedly told the medical examiner he was West's good buddy, and West had no living relatives ... which was total BS, according to cops.

After moving into West's house, Sguros started paying property taxes and utility bills, allegedly under West's name ... as if West was still alive -- and cops say he even used West's ID to obtain a permit to renovate the pad.

Sguros finally screwed up when he allegedly used his personal access code to tap into law enforcement databases to collect information about West.