Ex-Heat Guard Charged in Record Memorabilia Theft

Marcos Thomas Perez, a 62-year-old retired Miami police officer and former Miami Heat security staffer, was charged in federal court with a single felony count after allegedly stealing over 400 game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia from the Heat's secured equipment room between 2016 and 2025. Perez used his trusted access at the Kaseya Center to steal items intended for a future team museum and sold more than 100 pieces to online brokers over three years, earning about $2 million, often selling below market value. Among the stolen items was a LeBron James NBA Finals jersey, sold by Perez for roughly $100,000 and later auctioned at Sotheby’s for $3.7 million, a record for a game-worn LeBron jersey. In April, law enforcement recovered nearly 300 additional stolen memorabilia items from Perez’s home, all confirmed by the Miami Heat as theirs. This case is considered one of the largest sports memorabilia thefts in U.S. history. Perez appeared in federal court on Tuesday.