A former Miami Warmth safety officer has admitted to stealing and promoting lots of of items of priceless workforce memorabilia — together with game-worn jerseys — in a scheme that netted almost $2 million however price the NBA franchise much more.
Marcos Tomas Perez, 62, a retired Miami police officer who later labored safety for the Warmth and the NBA, pleaded responsible Tuesday within the Southern District of Florida to transporting and transferring stolen items throughout state strains.
In accordance with federal prosecutors, Perez abused his entry to a secured gear room on the Kaseya Heart — the Warmth’s downtown Miami area — the place the franchise had been storing lots of of jerseys and different objects supposed for a future workforce museum.
Between 2016 and 2021, whereas employed by the Warmth, and later from 2022 to 2025 as an NBA safety staffer, Perez stole greater than 400 game-worn jerseys and different memorabilia. He then bought over 100 objects on on-line marketplaces to collectors and brokers, raking in about US$1.9 million.
Federal authorities say he typically bought objects at a fraction of their precise market worth. One hanging instance: Perez bought a game-worn LeBron James Miami Warmth NBA Finals jersey for about US$100,000. That very same jersey was later auctioned at Sotheby’s for US$3.7 million.
In April, brokers executed a search warrant at Perez’s dwelling and recovered almost 300 further stolen jerseys and memorabilia, which the Miami Warmth confirmed had been taken from their facility.
“Perez betrayed the belief positioned in him by the Miami Warmth and the NBA,” prosecutors mentioned. “He took benefit of his place to steal historic memorabilia meant to rejoice the workforce’s legacy.”
U.S. Legal professional Jason A. Reding Quiñones of the Southern District of Florida and FBI Miami Particular Agent in Cost Brett D. Skiles introduced the plea deal Tuesday. The FBI Miami workplace is main the investigation, with help from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Miami Police Division.
Assistant U.S. Legal professional Robert Moore is prosecuting the case.
Perez’s sentencing date has not but been introduced.
