A former Miami Heat employee, identified as 62-year-old Marcos Thomas Perez, made his first appearance in federal court Tuesday after he was accused of stealing millions of dollars’ worth of Miami heat memorabilia and selling it to online brokers, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Perez was charged with transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce.
A former City of Miami police officer, Perez worked as a security officer for the Heat from 2016-21 and as a security employee for the NBA from 2022-25. He was trusted with access to a secured equipment room in Kaseya Center, which allowed him to steal game-worn jerseys and other items that the Heat intended to display in a future museum.
Perez stole over 400 game-worn jerseys and sold over 100 items worth approximately $2 million. That includes a game-worn LeBron James NBA Finals jersey, which Perez sold for around $100,000. That same jersey went for $3.2 million at a later auction hosted by Sotheby’s, a global broker of fine art, jewelry and other collectible items.
Law enforcement seized nearly 300 stolen jerseys and other memorabilia when it executed a search warrant on Perez’s residence in April.
