A former Miami Heat security officer, Marcos Tomas Perez, has been sentenced to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $1.9 million in restitution for stealing and selling hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia from the team. U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez handed down the sentence after Perez pleaded guilty to transporting and transferring stolen goods across state lines.
Perez, 62, of Miami, is a retired City of Miami Police Department veteran who worked as a security officer for the Miami Heat between 2016 and 2021, then later as an NBA security employee until 2025. During his employment at the Kaseya Center, he had access to a secured equipment room that contained items set aside for a future Miami Heat Museum.
According to court documents, Perez stole more than 400 jerseys and memorabilia over several years. He sold over 100 stolen items on online marketplaces at prices often below their market value. One example cited was a game-worn LeBron James NBA Finals jersey sold by Perez for about $100,000; this same jersey was later auctioned by Sotheby’s for $3.7 million.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez’s home on April 3, 2025, recovering nearly 300 additional stolen items confirmed by the Miami Heat as missing from their facility.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida stated: “This defendant was a former police officer who betrayed the public trust and exploited his access to our beloved hometown team for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The Miami Heat represent excellence built through hard work and discipline in South Florida — and this conduct was the opposite. This sentence and restitution order make clear that no badge, no past service, and no proximity to prestige shields anyone from accountability under the law.”
The investigation was led by FBI Miami with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division, and the Miami Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Moore and Jon Juenger prosecuted the case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Raemy Charest-Turken handled asset forfeiture proceedings.
Further information about this case can be found on the District Court for the Southern District of Florida’s website at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or via PACER at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-20346.
