Former Miami Heat Security Worker Pleads Guilty in Memorabilia Theft Case
A former Miami Heat security worker and retired Miami police officer has pleaded guilty to charges related to a significant memorabilia theft case. Marcos Thomas Perez, 62, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty in federal court following an FBI investigation. Perez is accused of stealing game-used jerseys and other memorabilia from the Heat and selling them to online brokers. His sentencing is scheduled for October 31.
Perez, a retired Miami Police Department veteran, allegedly stole over 400 game-worn jerseys and other items from the Heat's secured equipment room at Kaseya Center. The stolen items, intended for a future Miami Heat museum, were sold by Perez over a three-year period for approximately $2 million. Notably, he sold a game-worn LeBron James Miami Heat NBA Finals jersey for $100,000, which later fetched $3.7 million at a Sotheby's auction.
Law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at Perez's home on April 3, where they found nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia. The Heat confirmed that these items had been stolen from their facility. Perez had worked for the Miami Police Department from November 1992 to April 2016 and for the Heat from 2016 to 2021, as well as an NBA security employee from 2022 to 2025.
The extent of the memorabilia theft was first revealed by NBA insider Amin Elhassan on "The Dan Le Batard Show" podcast, describing it as one of the largest in the history of the country across all sports. The case highlights the importance of security measures in safeguarding valuable sports memorabilia and the consequences of theft in the industry.