US police officer accused of taking over dead man’s home after finding body | South China Morning Post            (us-police-officer-accused-taking-over-dead-mans-home-after-finding-body.html)                              (../../../../../static/manifest.json)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/favicon.ico)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-192x192.png)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-256x256.png)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-192x192.png)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-192x192.png)  (https://amp.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3371846/us-police-officer-accused-taking-over-dead-mans-home-after-finding-body)  (https://apigw.scmp.com)  (https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn.i-scmp.com)  (https://img.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn1.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn2.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn3.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn4.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com)  (https://ad-tech.scmp.com)  (https://c.amazon-adsystem.com)  (https://cdn.keywee.co)  (https://cdn.mouseflow.com)  (https://cdn.opecloud.com)  (https://cdn.petametrics.com)  (https://connect.facebook.com)  (https://fonts.googleapis.com)  (https://fonts.gstatic.com)  (https://js-sec.indexww.com)  (https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net)  (https://widgets.scmp.com)  (https://www.doubleclickbygoogle.com)  (https://www.facebook.com)  (https://www.google-analytics.com)  (https://www.googleadservices.com)  (https://www.google.com)  (https://www.googletagmanager.com)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/4a9777f1b0526d0c.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/024d37ad54557c14.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/127ae35205af64c7.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/bd5ebf0790610eb8.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/a070c9513bea1763.css)    (../../../../../../fonts.googleapis.com/icon@family=Material+Icons&display=swap.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/4a9777f1b0526d0c.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/024d37ad54557c14.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/127ae35205af64c7.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/bd5ebf0790610eb8.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/a070c9513bea1763.css)        (https://www.scmp.com/?module=masthead&pgtype=article)       (https://www.scmp.com/?module=masthead&pgtype=article)                             (https://www.scmp.com/search?module=masthead&pgtype=article)     (https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada?module=masthead&pgtype=article) United States & Canada  -       (https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada?module=masthead&pgtype=article) United States & Canada  US police officer accused of taking over dead man’s home after finding body  (https://www.scmp.com/?module=masthead&pgtype=article)                                            1             Advertisement     (https://www.scmp.com/topics/united-states?module=breadcrumb&pgtype=article) United States  (https://www.scmp.com/news/world?module=breadcrumb&pgtype=article) World   (https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada?module=breadcrumb&pgtype=article) United States & Canada    US police officer accused of taking over dead man’s home after finding body   Florida officer claimed he took possession of property to ‘prevent squatters from taking control of it’       2-MIN READ 2-MIN             1                    Listen            (The Lauderhill Police Department in South Florida. Photo: Google Maps)                    (https://www.scmp.com/author/associated-press-1) Associated Press   Published: 10:24am, 23 Oct 2026 Updated: 10:32am, 23 Oct 2026     A Florida police officer who found a man dead during a welfare check in 2022 is accused of taking possession of the man’s home and impersonating him for years while fixing up the place, authorities said. The officer said he took possession of the property weeks after discovering the homeowner’s body to “prevent squatters from taking control of it,” according to a court document he filed. Investigators in South Florida have accused Lauderhill police officer Brian Sguros of carrying out a “complex scheme” to take control of the US$400,000 home. They say he made it appear the man was still alive by using his identification to pay taxes on the property and obtain permits to make repairs.   Sguros was arrested this week and charged with five felonies, including official misconduct and criminal use of deceased personal identification. He appeared in court at a brief hearing on Wednesday and then dashed away from reporters outside.                                  Select Voice           Select Speed     (0.8)    0.8x  (0.9)    0.9x  (1)     1.0x  (1.1)    1.1x  (1.2)    1.2x  (1.5)    1.5x  (1.75)    1.75x      00:00 (0)  00:00             1x  AI-generated voice