Former Miami Heat security officer pleads guilty to stealing and selling millions of dollars' worth of team memorabilia
A former Miami Heat security officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to transporting and transferring millions of dollars' worth of team memorabilia, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Marcos Tomas Perez, 62, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty at a hearing Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Florida, admitting to the facts of the case.
'He's depressed, naturally, but he accepts responsibility for his behavior and we're gonna work through this issue in his life,' his attorney Robert Buschel said after the hearing, according to NBC Miami, which Buschel later confirmed to CNN.
Perez worked with the NBA team for five years from 2016 to 2021 and later with the league from 2022 to 2025.
During his time with Miami, Perez was a part of the security detail team on game days at the now-named Kaseya Center, home of the Heat, court documents state.
Perez accessed a secured equipment room that housed valuable memorabilia multiple times, stealing more than 400 game-worn jerseys and other items that were intended for a future Heat museum. Perez later sold the items to online brokers, according to court documents.
Perez sold more than 100 of the stolen items, worth approximately US$1.9 million and shipped them across state lines, often below fair market value. He sold a LeBron James NBA Finals jersey for nearly $100,000, which was later sold for $3.7 million at a Sotheby's auction, according to the court documents.
In April, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez's residence and recovered close to 300 more game-worn jerseys and memorabilia, according to prosecutors. The Heat confirmed the items were taken from the arena.
Perez, who is a retired 25-year officer for the City of Miami Police Department, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 31. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a maximum fine of $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 added, according to NBC Miami. 'This was an unfortunate set of decisions that he made and he's going to accept responsibility for that.'
The Heat declined to comment.
By Wayne Sterling, CNN
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