A retired police officer who worked as team security for the Miami Heat has been accused of stealing millions of dollars of memorabilia from the team, including NBA Finals game-worn jerseys originally belonging to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and more.
Marcos Thomas Perez (62) worked for the Heat from 2016 until 2021. During this time it’s alleged that Perez, a 25-year veteran of the Miami Police Department, stole high-value items from the team vault at the Kaseya Center, selling approximately 100 items for a total value of over $2M. In total it’s alleged that Perez stole over 400 items which were intended for a future team museum, with authorities finding over 300 game-worn jerseys when they raided his home in April.
Perez has been charged with transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce.
The most notable sold item was a game-worn LeBron James jersey from Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals. It was sold through the auction house Sotherby’s for a total of $1.7M, and even had social content made about its significance.
News of the potential theft was first broken by NBA reporter Amin Elhassan on The Dan Le Batard Show. That original reporting has now been confirmed accurate, with Perez reportedly selling the items for far below market value, likely because of the high profile of the memorabilia and the risk involved. It’s unclear whether or not Perez directly supplied the stolen LeBron jersey to Sotherby’s or if a go-between was used to move the stolen memorabilia.
Perez made his first appearance in court on Tuesday, with the FBI branch office in Miami continuing to investigate the theft.