Ex-Miami Heat Staffer Accused Of Stealing 400+ Game-Worn Jerseys, Charged W/ Felony
Miami Heat Ex-Staffer Accused Of Stealing 400+ Game-Worn Jerseys ... Charged With Felony
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UPDATE
6:53 AM PT -- Sotheby's released a statement to TMZ Sports regarding the allegedly stolen LeBron James jersey they auctioned off.
UPDATE
"Sotheby’s is fully cooperating with law enforcement and, out of respect for the ongoing investigation, will not comment further at this time."
A former Miami Heat security officer has been charged with a felony after he allegedly stole millions of dollars worth of items from the team, including over 400 game-worn jerseys.
The U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Florida claimed on Tuesday that 62-year-old Marcos Thomas Perez stole items when he had access to the Kaseya Center equipment room during his time as a Heat staffer -- and later, an NBA security employee -- from 2016 to 2025.
"This equipment room stored hundreds of game-worn jerseys," the feds said, "and other memorabilia that the organization intended to display in a future Miami Heat museum."
Perez allegedly stole numerous high-profile items and sold them through online marketplaces. The feds say over a span of three years, Perez made $2 million from just 100 sales, including a LeBron James NBA Finals jersey, which they said sold for $100,000.
The James jersey, the feds added, later sold for $3.7 million at a Sotheby's auction, which became a new record for the highest-selling game-worn LeBron uni.
On April 3, federal prosecutors said law enforcement seized nearly 300 more items when they executed a search warrant at Perez's residence.
Perez -- a retired Miami Police officer -- appeared in federal court on Tuesday and was formally hit with one count of transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce.
