Marcos Thomas Perez, a 25-year retired veteran of the City of Miami Police Department, is accused of stealing millions of dollars worth of Miami Heat game-worn jerseys and other valuable memorabilia that were later sold to online brokers, according to a press release issued Tuesday by The United States Department of Justice.
Perez, 62 years old and of Miami, made his initial appearance in federal court Tuesday “on a one-count information charging him with transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce,” according to the press release.
Along with being a retired veteran of the City of Miami Police Department, Perez was employed as a security officer with the Heat from 2016 until 2021 and also worked as an NBA security employee from 2022 until 2025.
According to the The United States Department of Justice’s press release: “During his tenure, Perez worked on the game-day security detail at the Kaseya Center, where he was among a limited number of trusted individuals with access to a secured equipment room. This equipment room stored hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia that the organization intended to display in a future Miami Heat museum.
“During his employment, Perez accessed the equipment room multiple times to steal over 400 game-worn jerseys and other items, which he then sold to various online marketplaces. Over a three-year period, Perez sold over 100 stolen items for approximately $2 million and shipped them across state lines, often for prices well below their market value. As an example, Perez sold a game-worn LeBron James Miami Heat NBA Finals jersey for approximately $100,000. That same jersey later sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $3.7 million.”
Perez was hired by the City of Miami Police Department in November 1992 and retired In April 2016. After patrol he worked various departments including Internal Affairs and Office of Emergency Management, his last assignment. Perez was liked and popular to those he worked with at the City of Miami Police Department, former co-workers said.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez’s residence on April 3 and seized almost 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia, the press release said. The Heat confirmed to investigators that these items had been stolen from Kaseya Center.
United States Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office made the announcement on Tuesday. FBI Miami is investigating the case, with the City of Miami Police Department assisting.
The federal investigation was launched in early 2024, with the stolen game-worn Heat memorabilia sold over a multiyear period, according to a source. The stolen items include game-worn gear from high-profile players such as LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade, among others, and are believed to be worth millions of dollars.
Meadowlark Media’s Amin Elhassan first reported the news of the investigation on “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” last week.
When asked for comment last week, a Heat spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on an ongoing investigation.” The Heat also declined to comment on The United States Department of Justice press release issued Tuesday.
The NBA did not respond last week to a request for comment.
When asked for an incident report, a spokesperson from the Miami Police Department responded last week: “This is an FBI investigation.”
It was not immediately clear if Perez had an attorney.
The Heat, which is in the middle of its offseason, is scheduled to hold its annual media day on Sept. 29 before opening training camp on Sept. 30 to kick off the 2025-26 season.