Ex-Heat Security Officer Pleads Guilty To Selling Stolen Memorabilia

A former Miami Heat security officer pleaded guilty Tuesday in the Southern District of Florida to transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce.

Marcos Tomas Perez, 62, admitted to stealing hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other valuable memorabilia belonging to the Heat and sold them to online brokers.

Marcos Tomas Perez Faces Up To 10 Years In Prison

According to NBC 6 South Florida, Perez’s sentencing date was set for Oct. 31, where he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of probation, and a fine of up to $250,000.

In an Aug. 5 press release, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) stated:

“Perez sold over 100 stolen items for approximately $2 million and shipped them across state lines, often for prices well below their market value. As an example, Perez sold a game-worn LeBron James Miami Heat NBA Finals jersey for approximately $100,000. That same jersey later sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $3.7 million.”

In addition to the LeBron James memorabilia, the stolen items include game-worn gear from other high-profile players such as Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade.

Perez, a 25-year retired veteran of the Miami Police Department, was employed as a security officer with the Heat from 2016 to 2021 and later worked as an NBA security employee from 2022 to 2025.

During his tenure, Perez worked on the game-day security detail at the Kaseya Center, where he had access to a secured equipment room that stored hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia set aside for a future Heat museum.

While he was employed, Perez stole more than 400 jerseys and other items from the secured equipment room and sold them through various online marketplaces.

“I hope that the judge will consider all factors in his life and his history as a good person, he was an exemplary police officer in the City of Miami, he’s been retired for close to 10 years,” Buschel added. “This was an unfortunate set of decisions that he made and he’s going to accept responsibility for that.”

FBI Miami Investigating Case

On April 3, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez’s residence and recovered nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia.

“U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami made the announcement,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida, stated in a press release Tuesday.

“FBI Miami is investigating the case. USPIS Miami and Miami Police Department provided invaluable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Moore is prosecuting the case.”