Former Miami Heat Security Officer Accused of Stealing and Selling $2 Million Worth of Team Memorabilia, Including LeBron James’ Finals Jersey

A 62-year-old former security officer for the Miami Heat NBA team, who previously served with the team from 2016 to 2021 and subsequently with the league until 2025, faces charges of allegedly stealing and selling millions of dollars’ worth of team memorabilia.

Marcos Thomas Perez, a member of the security detail on game days at the Kaseya Center – home of the Heat – during his tenure, reportedly accessed a secure equipment room housing valuable memorabilia multiple times, according to a news release from the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida.

Perez allegedly stole over 400 game-worn jerseys and other items intended for a future Heat museum, with plans to sell them to online brokers. Prosecutors claim he sold more than 100 of these stolen items, worth approximately $2 million, across state lines, often below fair market value.

Authorities allege that Perez sold a LeBron James NBA Finals jersey for nearly $100,000; it later fetched $3.7 million at a Sotheby’s auction. Efforts to obtain comment from Perez’s attorney have not yet been successful. The Heat has declined to comment due to the ongoing investigation.

In April, authorities executed a search warrant at Perez’s residence and recovered nearly 300 more game-worn jerseys and memorabilia, officials confirm. The Heat confirmed that these items were taken from the arena.

According to the release, Perez – a 25-year retired officer for the City of Miami Police Department – made his first appearance in federal court on Tuesday on a charge of transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce. The FBI’s Miami office is investigating the case.