Latest news with #RobertBuschel
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former Heat security officer admits in court to stealing jerseys worth millions, feds say
A former Miami Heat security officer has pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge in connection to stealing team memorabilia worth millions of dollars and selling the items to online brokers. Retired Miami police officer Marcos Tomas Perez appeared Tuesday at U.S. Superior Court for the Southern District of Florida and issued a guilty plea to transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce, after pleading not guilty to the felony count at an initial hearing earlier this month. Perez's attorney, Robert Buschel, told NBC6 in Florida after Tuesday's hearing that Perez is "depressed, naturally, but he accepts responsibility for his behavior and we're gonna work through this issue in his life." Perez, 62, faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 31. Read more:Ex-Miami Heat employee accused of stealing jerseys worth millions — including LeBron James' "I hope that the judge will consider all factors in his life and his history as a good person," Buschel said. "He was an exemplary police officer in the city of Miami, he's been retired for close to 10 years. This was an unfortunate set of decisions that he made and he's going to accept responsibility for that." Buschel declined to comment any further when reached by The Times via email Wednesday. According to a news release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Miami field office of the FBI, Perez has admitted to stealing hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia worth millions of dollars belonging to the Heat and selling them to online brokers. One such item was a jersey that LeBron James wore in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals, during which James and the Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win their second consecutive championship. After Perez allegedly sold the jersey for around $100,000, it was sold in an online auction for $3.7 million in 2023. According to court documents, other stolen items included jerseys signed by former Heat stars Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler, Chris Bosh, Alonzo Mourning and Shaquille O'Neal, as well as team jackets, game-worn sneakers and more. 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.
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
Former Miami Heat security officer pleads guilty to stealing and selling millions of dollars' worth of team memorabilia
Basketball PolicingFacebookTweetLink Follow 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 US 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 $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.
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
Former Miami Heat security officer pleads guilty to stealing and selling millions of dollars' worth of team memorabilia
Basketball PolicingFacebookTweetLink Follow 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 US 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 $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.
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
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 US 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 $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.
