Sports Memorabilia and Collectibles
Former Miami Heat security officer Marcos Thomas Perez faced federal charges of transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce on Tuesday, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The 62-year-old retired member of the Miami Police Department is accused of stealing hundreds of items from the team, including LeBron James’ jersey from Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals, which went on to sell for nearly $3.7 million in a 2023 Sotheby’s auction.
Perez was employed by the Heat from 2016-2021 and later by the NBA from 2022-2025, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
“During his tenure, Perez worked on the game-day security detail at the Kaseya Center, where he was among a limited number of trusted individuals with access to a secured equipment room,” the release says. “This equipment room stored hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia that the organization intended to display in a future Miami Heat museum.”
Perez allegedly stole more than 400 game-used jerseys and other items from the equipment room, selling them on multiple online marketplaces. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez’s home in April and seized almost 300 items that the Heat confirmed had been stolen from their arena.
