A former Miami Heat security guard appeared in federal court Tuesday, accused of stealing hundreds of pieces of game-worn memorabilia and selling them for about $2 million.
Marcos Thomas Perez used his special access to a Heat equipment room to steal game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia and sell them online across state lines, federal prosecutors say. Perez is accused of stealing more than 400 game-worn jerseys, about 100 of which he sold for roughly $2 million. (The other 300 items were found when law enforcement searched his house, and the Heat confirmed the stolen items.)
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida stated that Perez often undervalued the items, noting that he sold a jersey worn by LeBron James in the NBA Finals for about $100,000, which was later sold at Sotheby’s for $3.7 million.
Perez spent 25 years with the Miami Police Department and worked as a security guard for the Heat from 2016 to 2021, as well as for the NBA from 2022 to 2025. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Miami branch of the FBI are working on the case together, with help from Miami PD.
Prosecutors charged Perez with one count of transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce. He faces up to 10 years in prison with a maximum fine of $250,000.
Federal authorities said the equipment room was full of special gear that the team “intended to display in a future Miami Heat museum.” The Heat haven’t announced any plans for a dedicated team museum. James has his own museum, LeBron James’s Home Court, that opened in 2023 in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. James won two NBA championships in Miami (2012 and 2013) while playing for the Heat from 2010 to 2014.
A spokesperson for the Heat declined to comment on the investigation and did not answer questions about the museum.
