Former Miami Heat employee Marcos Thomas Perez, accused of stealing millions of dollars’ worth of team memorabilia, pleaded guilty to his charge of transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce, according to The Associated Press. He had initially pleaded not guilty. Perez, 62, sold more than 100 stolen items from the Heat and pocketed about $1.9 million in his scheme, selling game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia to online brokers, often at bargain prices.
Perez will be sentenced on Oct. 31. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years probation and a fine of up to $250,000.
Perez worked as a security officer for the Heat from 2016-21 and as a security employee for the NBA from 2022-25. His access as a game day security officer allowed him to enter a secure equipment room in Kaseya Center, from which he took items the Heat planned to display in a future team museum.
Ex-Miami Heat employee charged for selling millions of dollars’ worth of stolen memorabilia from team facility
Will Backus
Not only did Perez sell over 100 items, but he also stole over 400 game-worn jerseys. Included in that haul was a game-worn LeBron James jersey from the NBA Finals, which he sold for about $100,000. The jersey eventually sold for more than $3 million at an auction.
Authorities seized approximately 300 items from Perez’s residence when they executed a search warrant in April. The Heat confirmed they had been stolen from their facility
“He’s depressed, naturally, but he accepts responsibility for his behavior and we’re gonna work through this issue in his life,” defense attorney Robert Buschel said.
Perez is a 25-year retired veteran of the Miami Police Department, having served from Nov. 1992 to April 2016.
“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 said. “This was an unfortunate set of decisions that he made and he’s going to accept responsibility for that.”