Editor's Note: Jason Silverstein is an investor in cllct.
After the guilty plea of a Miami Heat security officer to stealing more than 400 game-worn jerseys, team officials and federal authorities have shifted their focus to recovering as many of the jerseys as possible.
Marcos Thomas Perez, 62, pleaded guilty to the charges of transporting and transferring stolen goods across state lines in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Aug. 19.
At least 10 buyers of the stolen jerseys have returned them to the Heat after the plea from Perez, who worked as a police officer for the city of Miami for 25 years before his employment with the Heat from 2016 to 2021 and then as an NBA security employee from 2022 to 2025. Sources tell cllct Perez's role was to monitor security at the Kaseya Center.
It is not yet known how many total buyers Perez sold to, nor how many total jerseys were sold, but many of the most expensive and notable jerseys — those worn by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal — were bought by one of the world’s top game-used jersey collectors.
Jason Silverstein, who has been the consignor for some of the hobby’s biggest jersey sales, still has some of the Heat jerseys that he purchased in his possession.
Sources tell cllct federal authorities visited Silverstein at his California home to talk with him under the belief he owns roughly two-dozen Heat jerseys, but the conversation did not result in any action. Silverstein has not been charged with any crime.
Silverstein told cllct he was unaware the items were stolen when he purchased them, and the way Perez operated during the sales process gave no indication the jerseys were obtained unlawfully.
“Marcos Perez wasn’t operating in the shadows — he was a vetted, high-ranking NBA security official who appeared to have close relationships with players and the Heat’s equipment manager,” Silverstein said in a statement to cllct.
“He sold jerseys openly through auction houses, on Instagram and eBay. Perez would often employ legal counsel to handle transactions, with buyers funding the attorney’s escrow account, further reinforcing the appearance of legitimacy. I, and many other collectors, bought in good faith, with no reason to believe any the property was stolen, trusting the legitimacy of what the league and its teams allowed into the marketplace.”
The most valuable item from Perez was James’ jersey from Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals. Silverstein said he bought that jersey in 2021 for $600,000 from someone who acquired it from Perez. Silverstein also said the purchase included a contract that guaranteed he had title to it.
The jersey sold at Sotheby's in January 2023 for $3.68 million, smashing the record price for a game-used James jersey by nearly six times.
California Penal Code Section 496 requires buyers to return stolen property as soon as they are made aware it is stolen.
Despite Perez's guilty plea, Silverstein argues ownership of the jerseys currently remains unclear.
“I will certainly provide jerseys to the owner when that is determined and relayed to me,” Silverstein said.
In addition, Silverstein said he has previously offered to donate jerseys to a museum, which the Heat said they were creating and was one of the reasons why the jerseys were in a protected room.
“I was excited to hear that the Miami Heat were creating a museum centered on game-worn objects,” Silverstein said.
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Complicating the case is many teams haven't made clear rules around which jerseys stay club property and which are property of the players. Historically, equipment managers and even security officials — who are sometimes tight with star players — have often been the source of items that have come to market.
In November 2023, Sotheby's and the NBA announced a multiyear partnership that made the auction house the league's official source for game-worn items. The deal helped standardize the marketplace.
As the market has grown exponentially, teams have started to care more about keeping things in house.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.