A former Miami Heat security officer has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $1.8 million in restitution for stealing hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other valuable sports memorabilia from the team and selling the stolen items across state lines for personal profit.
U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez imposed the sentence on Marcos Tomas Perez, 62, of Miami, who previously pleaded guilty to transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce.
According to court documents, Perez, a 25-year retired veteran of the City of Miami Police Department, was employed as a security officer with the Miami Heat from 2016 to 2021 and later worked as an NBA security employee from 2022 to 2025. During his tenure, Perez worked on the game-day security detail at the Kaseya Center, where he had access to a secured equipment room that stored hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia set aside for a future Miami Heat Museum.
While employed in these positions, Perez stole more than 400 jerseys and other items from the secured equipment room. Over a three-and-a-half-year period, Perez sold more than 100 stolen items on various online marketplaces, often at prices well below their market value. For example, Perez sold a game-worn LeBron James Miami Heat NBA Finals jersey for approximately $100,000. That same jersey was later sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $3.7 million.
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“This defendant was a former police officer who betrayed the public trust and exploited his access to our beloved hometown team for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The Miami Heat represent excellence built through hard work and discipline in South Florida — and this conduct was the opposite. This sentence and restitution order make clear that no badge, no past service, and no proximity to prestige shields anyone from accountability under the law.”
A former Miami Heat security employee and retired police officer was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $1.9 million in restitution for stealing and selling hundreds of game-worn jerseys and memorabilia.
— US Attorney Reding Quiñones (@USAO_SDFL) January 23, 2026
Positions of trust do not excuse greed. This… pic.twitter.com/lojuRkxu1E
On April 3, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez’s residence and recovered nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia, which the Miami Heat confirmed had been stolen from their facility.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
FBI Miami investigated the case. U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division, and the Miami Police Department provided invaluable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Moore and Jon Juenger prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raemy Charest-Turken handled asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-20346.
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