A former Miami police officer was sentenced to three years in federal prison this week for his role in a scheme that resulted in Miami Heat memorabilia being stolen from the team’s arena.
Marcos Thomas Perez worked security at Kaseya Center, and he admitted to stealing hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other Heat memorabilia – worth millions of dollars – across several years.
According to federal investigators, Perez was able to carry out the thefts by using his access to a secured storage room inside Kaseya Center. The FBI reported that Perez took over 400 items and sold many of them online, often below market value.
For example, Perez apparently sold a game-worn LeBron James jersey for around $100,000. The same jersey later sold at auction for millions.
“The hardest thing I had to do was tell my 85-year-old mother what I did, tell my wife and daughters what I did,” Perez said after pleading guilty and addressing the court.
Not only will Perez serve a prison sentence, but he also has to pay back $1.8 million in restitution. So far, the former police officer has paid back over $276,000 of that amount, according to federal officials. After his prison sentence, Perez has also been ordered to serve two years of supervised release.
It was previously reported that some of the stolen goods from the Heat included game-worn NBA Finals gear.
It’s unfortunate that Perez used his position working security for this personal gain, and it clearly seems that he is regretful of his actions.
For the Heat, hopefully this incident helps the team take precautions to avoid another theft of historic memorabilia in the future. Miami has a rich history as a franchise in the NBA, as it has won multiple NBA titles and had one of the greatest teams in NBA history when James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh teamed up to form their Big 3.
This season, the Heat are hoping to make a run in the Eastern Conference and get back to the NBA Finals, where they have not been since the 2022-23 season.