MIAMI – In a shocking betrayal of trust, a former Miami Heat security officer has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $1,889,931.91 in restitution for stealing hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other valuable sports memorabilia from the team and selling the stolen items across state lines for personal profit.
Marcos Tomas Perez, 62, of Miami, pleaded guilty to transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce. This defendant, a 25-year retired veteran of the City of Miami Police Department, abused his access to the team for personal gain.
“This defendant was a former police officer who betrayed the public trust and exploited his access to our beloved hometown team for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The Miami Heat represent excellence built through hard work and discipline in South Florida — and this conduct was the opposite.”
Perez was employed as a security officer with the Miami Heat from 2016 to 2021 and later worked as an NBA security employee from 2022 to 2025. During his tenure, Perez worked on the game-day security detail at the Kaseya Center, where he had access to a secured equipment room that stored hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia set aside for a future Miami Heat Museum.
While employed in these positions, Perez stole more than 400 jerseys and other items from the secured equipment room. Over a three-and-a-half-year period, Perez sold more than 100 stolen items on various online marketplaces, often at prices well below their market value. For example, Perez sold a game-worn LeBron James Miami Heat NBA Finals jersey for approximately $100,000. That same jersey was later sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $3.7 million.
On April 3, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez’s residence and recovered nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia, which the Miami Heat confirmed had been stolen from their facility.
The FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Miami Police Department provided invaluable assistance in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Moore and Jon Juenger prosecuted the case, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Raemy Charest-Turken handled asset forfeiture.
According to court documents, Perez had access to the game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia because of his position with the Miami Heat and his role on the game-day security detail. This access allowed him to steal hundreds of items and sell them online for personal profit.
The sentence and restitution order make clear that no badge, no past service, and no proximity to prestige shields anyone from accountability under the law.
Perez was a 25-year retired veteran of the City of Miami Police Department and a former security officer with the Miami Heat. He was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $1,889,931.91 in restitution.
Case number: 25-cr-20346.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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