he body and apparently took possession of the property,  Kiar said. According to the affidavit, Sguros identified himself as West's friend when communicating with the medical examiner's office and offered to assist with funeral arrangements if relatives could not be located. However, investigators later determined that West had surviving family members and legal heirs. According to the affidavit, Sguros acknowledged in sworn court documents that he took possession of West's property around Aug. 1, 2022. He claimed to have spent at least $214,000 cleaning, securing and renovating the home, which he estimated was worth approximately $500,000 after the improvements. Investigators said he also paid property taxes and utilities while the home remained registered under West's estate. In August 2024, a building permit application was submitted for an $8,000 project to replace windows and exterior doors at the property. The application listed West as the homeowner and included his driver's license information and a signature purportedly belonging to him, according to investigators. The paperwork also indicated West had appeared before a notary, despite having died more than two years earlier.  His driver's license, his name, he signed it apparently on the building permit,  Kiar told Local 10 News. Investigators said the phone number listed for West on the application actually belonged to Sguros. A notary whose name appeared on the paperwork told detectives she did not recognize the documents and that the signature was not hers, according to the affidavit. Authorities also accused Sguros of improperly accessing law enforcement databases seven times between July 2022 and January 2023 to obtain information about West. The case eventually came to light after Equinox Realty Holdings acquired ownership interests in the property from West's surviving heirs. According to investigators, representatives of the company discovered Sguros had been occupying the home and became involved in a dispute over the property's ownership. A Broward County court subsequently recognized the heirs' interests and the conveyances to Equinox. Sguros eventually surrendered the keys but sought reimbursement for improvements he claimed to have made to the home. In February 2026, he filed a civil lawsuit seeking an equitable lien against the property. The dispute ultimately led to an investigation involving the Broward County Property Appraiser's Deed Fraud Task Force and Broward Sheriff's Office detectives. According to the arrest affidavit, investigators identified five alleged offenses: official misconduct, criminal use of a deceased person's identifying information, criminal use of personal identifying information, an offense against a computer user and unlawful use of a two-way communications device. Sguros was arrested Tuesday and has since been placed on leave without pay from the Lauderhill Police Department. During Wednesday's court appearance, the judge ordered him not to contact the family connected to the case or return to the property.