Brian Sguros resigned from the Lauderhill Police Department and is facing criminal charges in Florida

NEED TO KNOW

• Brian Sguros resigned on Tuesday, Oct. 27, after an internal affairs investigation by the Lauderhill Police Department
• Sguros was arrested Oct. 20, four years after authorities say he found Dennis West dead during a welfare check and began impersonating him to take over and renovate his home
• He now faces several felony charges in Florida

Brian Sguros, the Florida police officer facing felony charges for allegedly impersonating a dead man for years, resigned from his job at the Lauderhill Police Department on Tuesday, Oct. 27, city officials announced.

Sguros, 35, resigned following an internal affairs investigation, officials said. LPD’s Professional Standards Unit worked with the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office’s Crimes Against Property Unit on the criminal investigation.

The former police officer is charged with official misconduct, criminal use of a deceased person’s personal identification information, criminal use of personal identification information, offense against users of computers, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device.

“The trust of our residents is the foundation of everything we do,” LPD Chief Constance Stanley said in a statement. “When residents call us, they are inviting us into their homes and their lives at their most vulnerable moments, and they must be able to trust that every officer who answers that call is there solely to serve them.”

“Conduct that betrays that trust will not be tolerated in this Department,” Stanley added. “We acted swiftly and thoroughly, and we will continue to hold every member of this Department to the highest standards of integrity.”

Sguros was arrested on Oct. 20, over four years after he discovered the body of Dennis West at his home during a welfare check, according to a Broward Sheriff’s Office news release.

In the years since, he is accused of impersonating West to obtain the home for his personal use, pouring more than $214,000 into renovations, NBC News reported, citing the arrest affidavit.

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Detectives allege that Sguros schemed to take control of the 71-year-old’s home, and that he initially represented himself to the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office as West’s friend, claiming West had no living relatives.

Sguros allegedly went on to pay taxes and utilities in West’s name, using the man’s identification to make it appear he was still alive, and allegedly forged his signature on a permit issued by the city, per the release. Sguros also allegedly accessed law enforcement databases to gain information about West.

In the arrest affidavit obtained by NBC Miami, Sguros is accused of impersonating the homeowner’s identity and a notary’s name and seal on a City of Lauderhill building permit application, and using his phone to send the documents and using police computers for unauthorized searches of a deceased person’s records.

The investigation initially opened on May 27, when LPD received a complaint about a residential property. In July, Sguros was placed on paid administrative leave in accordance with city protocol, according to the latest press release.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Lauderhill Police Department.

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