Ex-Heat employee accused of selling valuable | College News
A former Miami Heat security officer has been accused in federal court of stealing tens of millions of {dollars} price of group memorabilia — including a game-worn LeBron James jersey from the 2013 NBA Finals — and selling them to online brokers.
Appearing Wednesday at U.S. Superior Court for the Southern District of Florida, retired Miami police officer Marcus Thomas Perez pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of transporting and transferring stolen items in interstate commerce.
Perez, 62, faces up to 10 years in prison and a most high quality of $250,000. His attorney, Robert Buschel, declined to remark when requested on Wednesday by The Times.
According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Miami area workplace of the FBI, Perez labored on game-day security element for the Heat from 2016-2021, and later labored as an NBA security employee from 2022-2025.
While employed by the Heat, the press release states, Perez “was among a limited number of trusted individuals with access to a secured equipment room” where “hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia” had been being saved to be displayed at a future Heat museum.
“During his employment, Perez accessed the equipment room multiple times to steal over 400 game-worn jerseys and other items, which he then sold to various online marketplaces,” the press release states. “Over a three-year period, Perez sold over 100 stolen items for approximately $2 million and shipped them across state lines, often for prices well below their market value.”
One instance listed in the press release is the jersey that James wore in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals, during which the Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win their second straight championship. Perez allegedly bought the jersey for around $100,000; it was bought in an online public sale for $3.7 million in 2023.
In executing a search warrant at Perez’s home April 3, law enforcement “seized nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia,” all of which the Heat confirmed had been stolen from their facility, according to the press release.
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