Former Miami Heat Security Officer Sentenced to Three Years for Selling Stolen Jerseys
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A former member of the Miami Heat’s game-day security team has been sentenced to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $1.9 million in restitution for stealing and selling hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia, according to court documents unsealed this month.
Marcos Thomas Perez, 62, entered a guilty plea in August to one count of transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce. U.S. District Judge decisions issued earlier in January formalized the sentence and the restitution amount.
Perez, a 25-year veteran of the Miami Police Department, worked for the Heat from 2016 to 2021 and later served as an NBA security employee between 2022 and 2025. “This defendant was a former police officer who betrayed the public trust and exploited his access to our beloved hometown team for personal gain,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quiñones said in a written statement.
Federal prosecutors and the FBI said Perez used his limited access to a locked equipment room at Kaseya Center—reserved for items earmarked for a future team museum—to remove more than 400 jerseys and additional memorabilia. Investigators determined that, over approximately three years, he sold more than 100 stolen pieces for a combined $1.9 million through multiple online platforms.
Among the items was a jersey worn by LeBron James during the NBA Finals, which Perez allegedly sold for about $100,000. That same jersey was later auctioned by Sotheby’s for $3.7 million.
In April 2025, agents executed a search warrant at Perez’s home and recovered nearly 300 additional game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia. The Miami Heat later confirmed that all of the seized items had been taken from team storage.
Source: ESPN
