ye, said.  He was like taking out all the rotten boards and everything inside and putting it outside, and at one point, they were living in there.  Sguros claimed he spent more than two years cleaning, securing and renovating the home, the affidavit stated. In court filings, he said he invested at least $214,000 of his own money into the property and increased its value to approximately $500,000. He maintained that his work was intended to protect the vacant home from squatters and criminal activity, authorities said. Investigators said property records showed Sguros paid taxes on the home, which remained registered under West's estate. Records also showed he made a payment of more than $2,500 toward a utility account that remained in West's name nearly two years after his death. In February 2025, Sguros and another individual filed paperwork attempting to establish adverse possession of the property, the affidavit stated. According to the affidavit, the filing itself did not grant them legal ownership. Investigators said they discovered an August 2024 building permit application for an $8,000 project to replace windows and exterior doors at West's home. The paperwork listed West as the property owner, included his driver's license information and contained a signature purportedly belonging to him, authorities said. The document also indicated that West had appeared before a notary in August 2024, more than two years after his death. Investigators said the phone number listed for West on the application actually belonged to Sguros. According to the affidavit, detectives interviewed an employee of Active Builders Inc., the company involved in the renovation project. The employee told investigators that Sguros had provided documents needed for the building permit, including a copy of West's driver's license, authorities said. According to the affidavit, the employee said he believed West was alive and owned the property because of the information Sguros provided. Investigators also reviewed text messages between the employee and Sguros that contained images of the deceased man's identification and building permit paperwork, authorities said. According to the affidavit, the notary whose name appeared on the documents told investigators she did not recognize the paperwork and that the signature was not hers. She also said the notary stamp appeared smaller than the one she used, detectives said. The affidavit also accuses Sguros of improperly accessing law enforcement databases to obtain information about West. Investigators said records showed Sguros conducted seven searches using his Lauderhill Police Department-issued computer between July 2022 and January 2023. Those searches involved West's driver's license information and vehicle registration records. According to investigators, the database results included personal information such as West's address, date of birth, Social Security number and vehicle details. One search conducted in January 2023 specifically identified West as deceased, authorities said. According to the affidavit, the case came to light after Equinox Realty Holdings became involved with the property. The affidavit states that the company located West's surviving heirs and acquired their ownership interests in the home. A Broward County court subsequently recognized the heirs' interests and the conveyances to Equinox. Investigators said Sguros eventually surrendered the keys to the home but sought reimbursement for the improvements he claimed to have made. In February 2026, he filed a civil lawsuit seeking an equitable lien against the property, citing the money he said he spent on renovations, records show. The company's attorney later filed a complaint with the Lauderhill Police Department, raising concerns about Sguros' involvement with the property and his use of information obtained through his official duties. The investigation eventually involved the Broward County Property Appraiser's Deed Fraud Task Force and Broward Sheriff's Office detectives. According to the affidavit, investigators found probable cause to pursue five charges against Sguros:  We hold police officers in the highest regard because they take an oath to protect the public,  Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar said in a statement to Local 10 News.  This case is so troubling because this officer has been charged with using his position to defraud the public. I want to thank our BCPA Crimes Against Property Team and the Broward Sheriff's Office for their detailed and thorough investigation. 

Sguros has since been placed on leave without pay.