Ex-Miami Heat security worker charged in massive memorabilia theft pleads guilty

NBC News

a day ago

A former Miami Heat security worker and retired Miami police officer charged in a massive memorabilia theft that involved millions of dollars' worth of game-used jerseys and other items has pleaded guilty.
Marcos Thomas Perez, 62, who is charged with transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce following an FBI investigation, appeared in federal court Tuesday where he changed his plea from not guilty to guilty.
'He's depressed, naturally, but he accepts responsibility for his behavior and we're gonna work through this issue in his life,' defense attorney Robert Buschel said after the hearing.
His sentencing date was set for Oct. 31, where he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years probation and a fine of up to $250,000.
'I hope that the judge will consider all factors in his life and his history as a good person, he was an exemplary police officer in the City of Miami, he's been retired for close to 10 years,' Buschel said. 'This was an unfortunate set of decisions that he made and he's going to accept responsibility for that.'
Perez left the courthouse with a face mask and didn't want to speak with reporters.
Perez, a retired 25-year veteran of the Miami Police Department, is accused of stealing jerseys and other memorabilia and selling the items to online brokers, authorities said.
Perez worked for the Heat from 2016 to 2021, and also worked as an NBA security employee from 2022 to 2025.
During that time, Perez accessed a secured equipment room at Kaseya Center multiple times, stealing over 400 game-worn jerseys and other items, authorities said.
The items were being kept by the team for a future Miami Heat museum.
Over a three-year period, Perez sold over 100 stolen items for about $2 million, often selling them at prices well below market value, authorities said.
In one case, he sold a game-worn LeBron James Miami Heat NBA Finals jersey for approximately $100,000, and the same jersey later sold at a Sotheby's auction for $3.7 million, prosecutors said.
On April 3, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez's home and seized nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia, which the Heat confirmed had been stolen from their facility, prosecutors said.
Buschel said any items that were in Perez's possession were taken by the FBI, and that people who obtained the other items are being asked to return them.
Miami Police confirmed Perez worked for the department from November 1992 to April 2016.
The massive theft was first reported by NBA insider Amin Elhassan on the popular sports podcast 'The Dan Le Batard Show' last month.
'As it was described to me, this is one of the largest, if not the largest, memorabilia heist in the history of this country. In any sport,' Elhassan said on the podcast.