MIAMI — A former Miami Heat security officer and retired Miami police veteran has been charged in a scheme involving the theft and sale of millions of dollars’ worth of rare NBA memorabilia, including NBA Finals jerseys, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
Marcos Thomas Perez, 62, made his first appearance in federal court on Tuesday after facing one count of transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce, according to a news release from the Department of Justice obtained by Local 10 News.
Investigators said Perez exploited his position within the Miami Heat organization to access a secured equipment room at the Kaseya Center, where hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other high-value memorabilia were being stored for eventual display in a planned Miami Heat museum.
They said Perez, a 25-year retired officer with the Miami Police Department, worked with the Miami Heat from 2016 to 2021 and continued to serve as an NBA security employee through early 2025.
Federal investigators allege that during this time, he repeatedly accessed the equipment room to steal over 400 items, many of them worn during pivotal NBA Finals games.
Between 2020 and 2023, Perez is accused of selling more than 100 stolen items to online brokers and through various digital marketplaces, generating an estimated $2 million in revenue, according to the news release.
Authorities say the stolen goods were often sold far below market value, possibly to avoid detection.
In one instance, they said Perez sold a game-worn LeBron James jersey from an NBA Finals game for approximately $100,000. That same jersey was later resold at a Sotheby’s auction for a staggering $3.7 million.
On April 3, federal agents said they executed a search warrant at Perez’s residence, where nearly 300 additional pieces of stolen memorabilia were recovered.
Detectives said the Miami Heat organization has since confirmed that the recovered items were stolen from its facilities.
This case came to public attention after NBA insider and former team executive Amin Elhassan disclosed details during an appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show.
Elhassan described the theft as “one of the largest, if not the largest, memorabilia heists in the history of this country in any sport.”
“This was sold for many, many millions of dollars,” Elhassan said. “Authenticated NBA Finals collectibles belonging to the Heat were stolen and sold over at least an 18-month span — both on the open market and the black market.”
According to Elhassan and other sources, internal NBA security may now be conducting its own internal review.
Local 10 News is continuing to investigate claims that another Miami police officer or individuals may have been involved in the scheme.
Miami Chief Manny Morales released a statement on Tuesday evening saying he was deeply disappointed.
“While he separated from the Miami Police in 2016 and has not been affiliated with our agency for nearly a decade, any betrayal of the public’s trust, past or present, is a stain on the badge and the oath we all take to serve with integrity and honor,” Morales wrote on X.
The Miami Heat also released a statement.
“We cannot comment on an ongoing investigation,” Salinah On Yeugo, a Miami spokesperson, wrote.
Records show Perez is expected to make his next court appearance on Sept. 8 before U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez.
Local 10 News Assignment Editor Carson Merlo contributed to this report.
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