A former Miami Heat security officer has pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia worth millions of dollars, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Marcos Tomas Perez, 62, admitted to transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce during a plea hearing.
Prosecutors said Perez, a retired 25-year veteran of the Miami Police Department, worked as a Heat security officer from 2016-2021 and later as an NBA security employee. During that time, he had access to a secured equipment room at the Kaseya Center that stored items intended for a future Heat museum.
Perez admitted to stealing more than 400 jerseys and other memorabilia, selling over 100 of the items online for about $1.9 million over three-and-a-half year.
Among the stolen items was a game-worn LeBron James NBA Finals jersey that Perez sold for about $100,000. The jersey was later auctioned at Sotheby’s for $3.7 million.
A search warrant at Perez’s home in April recovered nearly 300 additional stolen items, which the Heat confirmed had been taken from their facility.
Perez is awaiting sentencing.