A former Miami Heat employee has been sentenced to prison for selling stolen museum exhibits
Jan Novak
Dailysports's expert
A former security staff member of the NBA's Miami Heat has been sentenced to three years in prison for stealing and reselling team memorabilia. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered him to pay nearly $1.9 million in restitution.
According to the Associated Press, 62-year-old Marcos Thomas Perez pleaded guilty to illegally transporting and selling stolen goods. Investigators determined that, having access to a secured equipment storage at Kaseya Center, the man stole more than 400 game-worn jerseys and other valuable items that the club had intended to display in its own museum in the future. He sold the stolen merchandise through online platforms, often at below-market prices.
Over three years, the former employee sold more than 100 stolen items totaling around $1.9 million. Among them was a Miami Heat jersey worn by LeBron James in the NBA Finals. Perez sold it for about $100,000, while it later fetched $3.7 million at a Sotheby’s auction. During a search of Perez’s home, law enforcement found around 300 more stolen jerseys and other memorabilia.
