The former Miami Heat and NBA security guard accused of stealing hundreds of items of memorabilia from the team pleaded guilty in court Tuesday.
Marcos Thomas Perez, 62, is accused of stealing more than 400 items—including game-worn jerseys—and selling roughly 100 of them for a total of about $2 million. A retired 25-year veteran of the Miami Police Department, Perez worked as a security guard for the Heat from 2016 to 2021 and the NBA from 2022 to 2025, which gave him special access to a room filled with items intended for a future Heat museum.
Charged with one count of transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce, Perez changed his plea from not guilty to guilty in federal court on Tuesday. His sentencing, set for Oct. 31, will determine how much of the maximum punishment—10 years in prison, three years of probation, and a fine of $250,000—he will serve.
“He’s depressed, naturally, but he accepts responsibility for his behavior and we’re gonna work through this issue in his life,” defense attorney Robert Buschel told reporters after the hearing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida, which handled the case along with the FBI and Miami police, said Perez sold an NBA Finals jersey worn by LeBron James for about $100,000, before it was later sold at Sotheby’s for $3.7 million. Law enforcement raided Perez’s home in early April and found about 300 items of stolen memorabilia.
“I hope that the judge will consider all factors in his life and his history as a good person, he was an exemplary police officer in the City of Miami, he’s been retired for close to 10 years,” said Buschel. “This was an unfortunate set of decisions that he made and he’s going to accept responsibility for that.”
