A former Miami police officer was sentenced to three years in federal prison this week for his part in a scheme that led to the theft of Miami Heat memorabilia from the team’s arena.
Marcos Thomas Perez worked security at the Kaseya Center and admitted to stealing hundreds of worn jerseys and other Heat memorabilia — worth millions of dollars — over several years.
According to federal investigators, Perez was able to carry out the theft using his access to a secure storage facility at the Kaseya Center. The FBI reported that Perez took over 400 items and sold many of them online, often below market value.
For example, Perez appears to have sold a game-worn LeBron James jersey for around $100,000. The same jersey later sold at auction for millions.
“The hardest thing I had to do was tell my 85-year-old mother what I did, tell my wife and daughters what I did,” Perez said after pleading guilty and addressing the court.
Not only will Perez serve prison time, but he will also have to pay back $1.8 million in restitution. So far, the former officer has paid back more than $276,000 of that amount, according to federal officials. Following the prison sentence, Perez has also been ordered to serve two years of supervised release.
It was previously reported that some of the stolen merchandise from the Heat included game-worn NBA Finals gear.
It is unfortunate that Perez used his position to win security for this personal gain and it clearly appears that he regrets his actions.
For the Heat, hopefully this incident helps the team take precautions to avoid another theft of historical relics in the future. Miami has a rich history as an NBA franchise, winning multiple NBA titles and having one of the best teams in NBA history when James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh teamed up to form the Big 3.
This season, the Heat hope to advance in the Eastern Conference and return to the NBA Finals, where they have not been since the 2022-23 season.