Ex-Heat Security Guard Charged With Trafficking Stolen Game-Worn Jerseys
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The U.S. Department of Justice has filed federal charges against former Miami Heat security officer Marcos Thomas Perez, accusing him of stealing more than 400 game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia and selling over 100 of those items for roughly $2 million.
Perez, a retired City of Miami police officer, was charged Tuesday with transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce. Court documents say he removed items from a secured equipment room at the Kaseya Center between 2018 and 2021 while working on the team’s game-day security detail. The room held jerseys and artifacts the franchise intended to showcase in a future Heat museum.
Among the pieces Perez allegedly took was LeBron James’ Game 7 jersey from the 2013 NBA Finals. Investigators say Perez sold that jersey for about $100,000; it later fetched $3.68 million at a Sotheby’s auction in 2023.
The federal probe began in early 2024 after the Heat discovered jerseys belonging to James, Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade and others were missing. A search warrant executed at Perez’s home in April recovered nearly 300 items the club identified as stolen.
Perez served with the Miami police from 1992 until his retirement in 2016, joined the Heat’s security staff the same year and worked for the NBA in a security role from 2022 until earlier this year, according to the DOJ.
Imagem: Dana Gauruder via hoopsrumors.com
The Heat and the league have declined comment while the investigation continues. Meadowlark Media’s Amin Elhassan first disclosed the inquiry last week on “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.”
Source: Hoops Rumors
