Five charges include identity, computer and communication-device offenses
Sguros was called in as backup for the 2022 welfare check on West, a 71-year-old resident of Lauderhill, Florida. Sguros found West dead of natural causes. Court documents said body-camera footage showed Sguros during the welfare check and that he did not appear to have a prior relationship with West.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office arrested Sguros this week. After the welfare check, Sguros allegedly “created a complex scheme to take control of the individual’s home,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. Investigators allege that Sguros impersonated West, moved into the house and renovated the two-story South Florida home.
Investigators said Sguros told the medical examiner’s office that he was West’s friend, though authorities found no indication that the two knew each other. Sguros also allegedly told the county medical examiner that West had no living relatives. Authorities separately said that statement was untrue.
CBS, the BBC’s news partner, reported that Sguros had West’s body cremated. Police accused Sguros of living in West’s house for nearly four years and said he lived there for years without being detected.
A joint investigation by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office found that Sguros took possession of the home in August 2022 and moved in. Investigators said Sguros paid utility accounts that remained in West’s name.
Authorities alleged that in 2025 Sguros filed paperwork with the property appraiser’s office stating that his possession dated to August 2022. Court documents said Sguros said he took possession because the property was hazardous and he wanted to prevent people from squatting.
Court documents said Sguros applied for a permit to replace exterior doors and windows at a cost of $8,000 (£5,970). Investigators alleged that Sguros renovated the two-story South Florida home. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said Sguros claimed he had increased the property’s value by spending more than $214,000 (£159,717) on it.
Local law enforcement became aware of the situation when West’s heirs tried to sell the property, according to a police affidavit cited by BBC. After Sguros eventually returned the keys to the property’s rightful owners, he allegedly demanded reimbursement for improvements he had made, court documents said.
Sguros faces five charges: official misconduct, criminal use of a deceased person’s identification, criminal use of personal identification information, offense against a computer user and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
Sguros was released from jail on a $25,000 bond. The Lauderhill Police Department said Sguros had been relieved of duty and placed on administrative leave with pay. Sguros had not commented on the charges, and it was unclear whether he had legal representation.
BBC News also reported that a U.S. man was stopped during an ocean crossing in a ‘hamster wheel.’ The outlet separately reported that an alligator killed a 71-year-old man fishing in Florida.