A former Miami Heat security employee has been sentenced to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly US$1.9 million in restitution for stealing hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other valuable sports memorabilia from the NBA franchise and selling them across state lines for personal profit.
U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez imposed a 36-month prison sentence on Marcos Tomas Perez, 62, of Miami, who previously pleaded guilty to transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Prosecutors said Perez, a retired City of Miami police officer with 25 years of service, worked as a security officer with the Miami Heat from 2016 to 2021 and later as an NBA security employee from 2022 to 2025. During that time, he was assigned to game-day security duties at the Kaseya Center, where he had access to a secured equipment room housing hundreds of game-worn jerseys and memorabilia intended for a future Miami Heat Museum.
Court documents state that Perez stole more than 400 jerseys and other items from the secured room. Over a period of about three and a half years, he sold more than 100 stolen items through various online marketplaces, frequently at prices well below their market value.
Among the items sold was a game-worn LeBron James Miami Heat NBA Finals jersey, which Perez sold for approximately US$100,000. The same jersey was later sold at a Sotheby’s auction for US$3.7 million.
On April 3, 2025, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Perez’s residence and recovered nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia. The Miami Heat later confirmed that the items had been taken from the team’s facility.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said Perez abused his position of trust and exploited his access to the organization for personal gain. He added that the sentence and restitution order underscore that no individual is above the law.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Miami Field Office, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Miami Division and the Miami Police Department.
