Ex-Miami Heat employee accused of stealing jerseys worth millions — including LeBron James'
Appearing Wednesday at U.S. Superior Court for the Southern District of Florida, retired Miami police officer Marcus Thomas Perez pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce.
Perez, 62, faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. His attorney, Robert Buschel, declined to comment when asked on Wednesday by The Times.
According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Miami field office of the FBI, Perez worked on game-day security detail for the Heat from 2016-2021, and later worked as an NBA security employee from 2022-2025.
While employed by the Heat, the press release states, Perez 'was among a limited number of trusted individuals with access to a secured equipment room' where 'hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia' were being stored to be displayed at a future Heat museum.
'During his employment, Perez accessed the equipment room multiple times to steal over 400 game-worn jerseys and other items, which he then sold to various online marketplaces,' the press release states. 'Over a three-year period, Perez sold over 100 stolen items for approximately $2 million and shipped them across state lines, often for prices well below their market value.'
One example listed in the press release is the jersey that James wore in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals, during which the Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win their second straight championship. Perez allegedly sold the jersey for around $100,000; it was sold in an online auction for $3.7 million in 2023.
In executing a search warrant at Perez's home April 3, law enforcement 'seized nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia,' all of which the Heat confirmed had been stolen from their facility, according to the press release.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
Ex-Miami Heat security guard charged in massive theft of memorabilia
A former Miami Heat security guard was charged this week with transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce, accused of stealing jerseys and other memorabilia and selling the items to online brokers. Federal authorities in Florida said that 62-year-old Marcos Thomas Perez, a retired police officer who spent 25 years with the Miami Police Department, who also worked for NBA security, stole items from the Kaseya Center, the Heat's home arena, by accessing a secured equipment room to take over 400 game-worn jerseys and other items, including a game-worn LeBron James Miami Heat NBA Finals jersey from 2013 that netted him approximately $100,000. Perez worked for the Heat from 2016 to 2021. The equipment room had game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia that the Heat intended to display in a future team museum. That Game 7 jersey sold at a Sotheby's auction in January 2023 for $3.7 million. Over a three-year period, Perez allegedly sold over 100 items, sometimes shipping them across state lines, for about $2 million. Authorities said those items sold were well below the market value. Authorities executed a search warrant in April on Perez's residence, where they found nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia. The Heat said those items were indeed stolen from their facility. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ex-Miami Heat employee accused of stealing jerseys worth millions — including LeBron James'
A former Miami Heat security officer has been accused in federal court of stealing millions of dollars worth of team memorabilia — including a game-worn LeBron James jersey from the 2013 NBA Finals — and selling them to online brokers. Appearing Wednesday at U.S. Superior Court for the Southern District of Florida, retired Miami police officer Marcus Thomas Perez pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce. Perez, 62, faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. His attorney, Robert Buschel, declined to comment when asked on Wednesday by The Times. Read more: Hernández: Lakers' commitment to Luka Doncic raises questions about LeBron James' role According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Miami field office of the FBI, Perez worked on game-day security detail for the Heat from 2016-2021, and later worked as an NBA security employee from 2022-2025. While employed by the Heat, the press release states, Perez "was among a limited number of trusted individuals with access to a secured equipment room" where "hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia" were being stored to be displayed at a future Heat museum. "During his employment, Perez accessed the equipment room multiple times to steal over 400 game-worn jerseys and other items, which he then sold to various online marketplaces," the press release states. "Over a three-year period, Perez sold over 100 stolen items for approximately $2 million and shipped them across state lines, often for prices well below their market value." Read more: LeBron James and Maverick Carter meet with Nikola Jokic's agent, who is starting a new league One example listed in the press release is the jersey that James wore in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals, during which the Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win their second straight championship. Perez allegedly sold the jersey for around $100,000; it was sold in an online auction for $3.7 million in 2023. In executing a search warrant at Perez's home April 3, law enforcement "seized nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia," all of which the Heat confirmed had been stolen from their facility, according to the press release. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
19 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Ex-Miami Heat employee accused of stealing jerseys worth millions — including LeBron James'
A former Miami Heat security officer has been accused in federal court of stealing millions of dollars worth of team memorabilia — including a game-worn LeBron James jersey from the 2013 NBA Finals — and selling them to online brokers. Appearing Wednesday at U.S. Superior Court for the Southern District of Florida, retired Miami police officer Marcus Thomas Perez pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce. Perez, 62, faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. His attorney, Robert Buschel, declined to comment when asked on Wednesday by The Times. According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Miami field office of the FBI, Perez worked on game-day security detail for the Heat from 2016-2021, and later worked as an NBA security employee from 2022-2025. While employed by the Heat, the press release states, Perez 'was among a limited number of trusted individuals with access to a secured equipment room' where 'hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia' were being stored to be displayed at a future Heat museum. 'During his employment, Perez accessed the equipment room multiple times to steal over 400 game-worn jerseys and other items, which he then sold to various online marketplaces,' the press release states. 'Over a three-year period, Perez sold over 100 stolen items for approximately $2 million and shipped them across state lines, often for prices well below their market value.' One example listed in the press release is the jersey that James wore in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals, during which the Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win their second straight championship. Perez allegedly sold the jersey for around $100,000; it was sold in an online auction for $3.7 million in 2023. In executing a search warrant at Perez's home April 3, law enforcement 'seized nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia,' all of which the Heat confirmed had been stolen from their facility, according to the press release.
