Ex-Heat Employee Accused of Stealing and Selling Team Memorabilia Worth Millions.

Former Miami Heat employee Marcos Thomas Perez was arrested for stealing and selling team merchandise worth millions of dollars, including a LeBron James jersey that sold for $3.7 million at a Sotheby's auction. Perez, a former police officer, worked for the Heat as a security officer from 2016 to 2021 and then for the NBA from 2022 to 2025. He is accused of selling over 100 items for approximately $2 million during a three-year span.

A former Miami Heat employee, Marcos Thomas Perez, has been charged with stealing and selling millions of dollars' worth of team memorabilia, including a LeBron James jersey that fetched $3.7 million at a Sotheby's auction. Perez, a 62-year-old retired Miami police officer, worked as a security officer for the Heat from 2016 to 2021 and later for the NBA from 2022 to 2025 [1].

Perez is accused of repeatedly accessing a secure equipment room at the Kaseya Center, where the Heat stored memorabilia intended for a future museum. Over a period of years, he stole over 400 game-worn jerseys and other items, selling more than 100 of them for approximately $2 million through online marketplaces [2][3][4].

Among the stolen items was a LeBron James NBA Finals jersey from Game 7 of the 2013 season. Perez sold this jersey for around $100,000, but it later sold for $3.7 million at a Sotheby's auction in January 2023 [3]. This sale made it the third-highest price ever paid for a game-worn jersey, behind a Michael Jordan 1998 NBA Finals jersey ($10.91 million) and Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" jersey ($9.28 million) [3].

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez's residence in April 2023, recovering nearly 300 additional stolen jerseys and memorabilia. The Miami Heat confirmed that the items had been taken from their facility [2][3].

The FBI is continuing to investigate the matter, and the potential penalties for Perez remain unspecified. The Miami Heat has not publicly acknowledged the alleged heist [3].

References:
[1] https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/ex-miami-heat-employee-charged-for-selling-millions-of-dollars-worth-of-stolen-memorabilia-from-team-facility/
[2] https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/ex-miami-heat-security-guard-charged-in-alleged-2-million-memorabilia-theft-scheme-doj-says/
[3] https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/breaking-news/article/doj-ex-heat-security-staffer-stole-millions-in-game-worn-gear-from-team-including-lebron-james-finals-jersey-that-later-sold-for-37m-223020640.html
[4] https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6537573/2025/08/05/miami-heat-memorabilia-theft/