A former employee of the Miami Heat appeared in court on Tuesday, facing charges related to the transportation and transfer of stolen goods across state lines. The case revolves around allegations that Marcos Thomas Perez, a 25-year retired veteran of the City of Miami Police Department and former security officer for the team, stole valuable items from the Kaseya Center over a span of several years, specifically from 2016 to 2025.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, the items taken by Perez included more than 400 game-worn jerseys, alongside other memorabilia that the team intended to display in a future museum. Perez had privileged access to a secured equipment room within the Kaseya Center, which housed a collection of game-worn jerseys and significant artifacts related to the team's history.

The U.S. Attorney's Office revealed that Perez sold over 100 of the stolen items, accumulating approximately $2 million in proceeds over three years. Among the notable possessions was a jersey worn by LeBron James during the NBA Finals, which Perez sold for $100,000 and was later auctioned at Sotheby’s for a remarkable $3.7 million. Following a search warrant executed in April, law enforcement officials seized around 300 stolen game-worn jerseys and pieces of memorabilia from Perez's residence. The Miami Heat organization has confirmed the items indeed were misappropriated from their facilities.