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USA Today
07-08-2025
- 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.
Time of India
06-08-2025
- Time of India
Miami Heat rocked as ex-staffer Marcos Thomas Perez held for selling LeBron James' Game 7 jersey worth millions
Miami Heat rocked as ex-staffer Marcos Thomas Perez held for selling LeBron James' Game 7 jersey worth millions (Image Source: Getty Images) There is a developing scandal around the Miami Heat. A former security staffer stands accused of a large theft involving game-worn jerseys and high-value memorabilia. The story has surprised fans and raised questions about team oversight and stolen sports collectibles, sparking concerns over internal security, potential black-market sales, and the integrity of team property management. Ex-Heat security officer Marcos Thomas Perez faces federal charges On August 5, Marcos Thomas Perez, aged 62 and a retired Miami police officer, appeared in federal court on charges of transporting stolen goods across state lines. During his time with the Miami Heat (from 2016 to 2021) and later working for the NBA (2022–25), Perez allegedly stole more than 400 game-worn jerseys and valuable items from the Kaseya Center equipment room, where memorabilia intended for a future team museum was stored. He is accused of selling over 100 stolen items for close to $2 million via online brokers between 2016 and 2025. One prominent piece was a LeBron James jersey from Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals, sold by Perez for about $100,000, later resold for $3.7 million at a Sotheby's auction. How the Miami Heat memorabilia theft unfolded Perez worked on the game-day security staff at Miami's Kaseya Center and had access to a secure storage room containing high-value Heat collectibles. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida and FBI Miami, investigators executed a search warrant at Perez's home in April 2025. They seized nearly 300 additional stolen items. Perez had also briefly served as security staff for the NBA's national operations. Federal authorities say items were sold at a fraction of fair market value, suggesting he may have had help from intermediaries. Many fans, especially memorabilia collectors, noted they had grown suspicious of unusual online listings of rare Heat gear months before the official investigation began. Also Read: Kawhi Leonard's Africa visit wins hearts as NBA star builds courts and inspires youth in Rwanda This case highlights major concerns over security protocols in sports franchises. Perez faces federal charges for a serious breach of trust, both to the team and fans. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
National Post
06-08-2025
- National Post
Former Miami Heat worker allegedly stole LeBron James jersey worth millions
A former Miami Heat employee was charged with stealing hundreds of pieces of memorabilia and selling it online, including a jersey worn by LeBron James in the National Basketball Association's championship series that later sold for nearly $4 million at auction. Article content Federal prosecutors on Tuesday said Marcos Thomas Perez, who worked as a security guard for the Heat and the NBA from 2016 to 2025, took more than 400 game jerseys and other items from a secured equipment room that held memorabilia that the organization planned to put in a future museum devoted to the team. Article content Prosecutors said Perez sold more than 100 items to online brokers for about $2 million, often for prices that were well below their market value. Those items included the used LeBron James jersey, which Perez sold for $100,000 and later sold at a Sotheby's auction for $3.7 million. Article content Law enforcement searched his home on April 3 and seized almost 300 additional jerseys and other items that had been stolen. Article content Perez, 62, a retired veteran of the Miami Police Department, made an initial appearance in federal court in Miami on Tuesday, prosecutors said. He was charged with transportation of stolen goods and faces as much as 10 years in prison if convicted. Article content An attorney for Perez couldn't be immediately identified and a representative for the Heat didn't immediately return a call seeking comment. Article content In March, a former employee of the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, which hosts the annual Masters tournament, was sentenced to one year in prison after admitting to stealing Masters golf tournament merchandise and selling it for millions of dollars to online brokers over about 13 years.
NBC News
06-08-2025
- NBC News
Ex-Miami Heat security worker charged in massive memorabilia theft of game-worn jerseys
A former Miami Heat security worker and retired Miami police officer has been charged in a massive memorabilia theft that involved millions of dollars' worth of game-used jerseys and other items, authorities said. Marcos Thomas Perez, 62, is charged with transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce following an FBI investigation, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida said Tuesday. 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 three years, 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. Perez made his initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday. 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.
Washington Post
06-08-2025
- Washington Post
Ex-Heat employee stole memorabilia worth millions, federal prosecutors say
Federal prosecutors accused a former Miami Heat employee of stealing and selling team merchandise worth millions of dollars over several years. Marcos Thomas Perez, a 62-year-old Miami resident, appeared in federal court Tuesday after being charged with transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce, according to a joint statement by the Southern District of Florida office for the Justice Department and the FBI's Miami field office.
