A former Miami Heat security guard pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
DOJ: Millions in stolen memorabilia sold online
The Justice Department said Marcos Thomas Perez, 62, admitted to stealing hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia belonging to the Miami Heat and selling them to online brokers.
Prosecutors said the items, valued in the millions, included rare jerseys.
Perez, a 25-year retired veteran of the City of Miami Police Department, worked as a Heat security officer from 2016 to 2021 and later as an NBA security employee from 2022 to 2025, according to the DOJ.
While working game-day security at the Kaseya Center, Perez had access to a secured equipment room where the items were stored for a future team museum.
Jerseys resold at steep markups
Prosecutors said Perez stole more than 400 jerseys and other memorabilia from the secured room and sold over 100 items through online marketplaces across state lines for about $1.9 million.
The DOJ said he often sold the pieces below their market value—including a LeBron James NBA Finals jersey he sold for about $100,000, which was later auctioned at Sotheby’s for $3.7 million.
According to the Justice Department, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez’s residence on April 3 and recovered nearly 300 additional stolen jerseys and memorabilia, which the Miami Heat confirmed had been taken from their facility.
