Feds investigating case of stolen game-worn Heat gear from Kaseya Center worth ‘millions'
The federal investigation began 18 months ago, with the stolen game-worn Heat memorabilia sold over a multiyear period, according to a source. The stolen items include game-worn gear from high-profile players such as LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade, among others.
Meadowlark Media's Amin Elhassan first reported the news of the investigation on 'The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz' this week.
'There is another federal investigation going on right now about the sale of ill-gotten memorabilia,' Elhassan said on the show. 'This one concerns memorabilia — authenticated memorabilia — stolen from the Miami Heat, and sold for many, many, many, many, many millions of dollars. Perhaps one of the largest heists of this kind.
'What red-flagged it within the memorabilia community is you never see people with this much stuff. You might get a game-worn jersey, but to get a game-worn full set? NBA Finals? For multiple players? As it was described to me, this is one of the largest, if not the largest, memorabilia heists in the history of this country in any sport.'
One suspect who has been identified through the ongoing investigation is a retired Miami police officer who went on to work for the NBA's security division, according to a source. Another person of interest is an individual who is from California and might have purchased some of the stolen memorabilia and put it up for auction, the same source said.
A source also indicated that the investigation identified an Instagram account that might have been used to help facilitate the sale of some of the stolen memorabilia. That account has since been deleted.
The game-worn gear was being stored by the Heat as historical memorabilia that could have been used for the potential creation of a Heat Hall of Fame.
When asked for comment, a Heat spokesperson said: 'We cannot comment on an ongoing investigation.'
The NBA did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
When asked for an incident report, a spokesperson from the Miami Police Department responded: 'This is an FBI investigation.'
'The FBI does not confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation, except in rare circumstances where the public's assistance is requested,' an FBI spokesperson said when contacted about the investigation.
The Heat, which is in the middle of its offseason, is scheduled to hold its annual media day on Sept. 29 before opening training camp on Sept. 30 to kick off the 2025-26 season.
Miami Herald Staff Writer David J. Neal contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Patel fires back at media critics after uncovering secret FBI 'burn bags' with classified documents
FBI Director Kash Patel called out the left-wing media Saturday for labeling him a liar over his discovery of a trove of sensitive documents related to the origins of the Trump-Russia probe buried in multiple "burn bags" in a secret room inside the bureau. Sources previously told Fox News Digital the "burn bag" system is used to destroy documents designated as classified or higher. Sources also said multiple burn bags were found and filled with thousands of documents. One document FBI officials found in a burn bag, sources said, was the classified annex to former special counsel John Durham's final report, which includes the underlying intelligence he reviewed. Patel addressed the burn bags on X, reminding people of what he proved in 2017 and 2018. "In 2017/18, I proved the Steele Dossier was fictitious intelligence, weaponized by corrupt FBI officials to deceive a federal judge and unlawfully spy on then presidential candidate Trump's campaign – all paid for by his opponent," the FBI director said. "The media called me a liar. "Now I'm the FBI Director: We just uncovered burn bags/room filled with Russia Gate files, including the Durham annex, and declassified them," Patel continued. "Once again, I released the prior FBI's own documents and exposed the truth. The same media is calling me a liar again. Maybe this FBI will release more docs directly, from FBI HQ…so we can see who is lying – wouldn't want to deprive the fake news of more bogus Pulitzers." The declassification of the classified annex is being done in close coordination between CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi and acting National Security Agency Director William Hartman. The declassified annex will be transmitted to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, who ultimately will release the document to the public. Patel, in a June interview with podcast host Joe Rogan, revealed that he found a room full of documents and computer hard drives "that no one had ever seen or heard of." "Just think about this," Patel told Rogan. "Me, as director of the FBI, the former 'Russiagate guy,' when I first got to the bureau, found a room that Comey and others hid from the world in the Hoover Building, full of documents and computer hard drives that no one had ever seen or heard of. Locked the key and hid access and just said, 'No one's ever gonna find this place.'" Patel and his staff have been working through the documents, some of which are related to sensitive investigations, including the FBI's original Trump–Russia probe, known inside the bureau as Crossfire Hurricane. It is unclear what the latest documents cover specifically, but sources told Fox News Digital that the most recent discovery was pursuant to an investigative request from Grassley. Patel has turned the documents over to Grassley. Grassley has been requesting information related to Durham's probe. Durham was appointed after then-special counsel Robert Mueller completed his yearslong investigation into the origins of the Trump–Russia probe — including intelligence community malfeasance during and in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Sources told Fox News Digital that Grassley's team is now reviewing the underlying information as part of its investigative work. As for the other records, Patel's staff is working to turn them over to Congress pursuant to investigative requests by committees of jurisdiction.
CBS News
3 hours ago
- CBS News
Michigan man sentenced for traveling with explosive devices to Massachusetts
A 31-year-old man has been sentenced for traveling with several explosive devices from Michigan to Massachusetts, federal officials said on Friday. A judge sentenced Luke Isaac Terpstra to three years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan. He pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered destructive device in April. Between late summer and early fall of 2023, Terpestra built several improvised explosive devices, also known as IEDs, the attorney's office said. In September of that same year, he traveled from Grant, Michigan, to Salem, Massachusetts, with the devices, multiple firearms and ammunition. One IED had coins attached to its side, while another had rifle ammunition attached. Both devices had a piece of cannon fuse on them, according to the attorney's office. Terpstra said he built the IEDs because he wanted to destroy a Satanic Temple by setting it on fire, officials said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked with the Grant Police Department, Kent County Sheriff's Office and Michigan State Police on the case. "The sentence in this case is significant and it reinforces that individuals who build bombs with the intent to injure innocent civilians and destroy property will be held accountable," U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey said in a news release on Friday.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
FBI takes down Northern California man in shocking murder-for-hire plot
( — One of three people connected to a murder-for-hire plot in Northern California pleaded guilty on Friday for conspiracy to use interstate commerce facilities as part of the plan to kill someone, according to the United States Department of Justice.•Video Above: How to report a public safety threat Court documents revealed that Shaminderjit Singh Sandhu, 51, of Tracy, conspired with Jagninder Singh Boparai, 49, of Manteca, and Ramesh Kumar Birla Jr., 47, of Dublin, to murder someone referred to as Victim 2. In February 2023, the three of them repeatedly met with a person they believed to be a hitman at a Starbucks in Manteca. Guest becomes a millionaire after massive win at a Northern California casino Unbeknownst to Sandhu and his co-defendants, the hitman was a confidential informant working for the FBI, according to the DOJ. On Feb. 17, 2024, Boparai told the supposed hitman that the first job involved the assault of someone referred to as Victim 1, and once he proved his trustworthiness, he would be given another job. The following day, the DOJ said Boparai met the confidential informant again and offered to pay $6,000 for the assault of Victim 1. In March 2023, in the presence of Birla and another individual, Boparai met with the confidential informant, and Boparai gave the confidential informant $1,000 as a down payment for the assault. Sacramento police arrest teen for murder after two-month investigation Shortly after, the confidential informant showed Boparai a staged photo of Victim 1 lying on the ground covered in bruises, dirt, and blood to indicate the assault had occurred. Boparai said he liked the photo and told the confidential informant that he had two other 'jobs,' one of which involved robbing a business, and the other involved making a person 'disappear.' According to court documents, after what Boparai thought was a successful assault on Victim 1, he met with the confidential informant to pay him $10,000 as a down payment for the murder of Victim 2. Sandhu provided Victim 2's address, and Boparai instructed the confidential informant that Victim 2 must disappear without any evidence remaining. Sacramento International Airport sets all-time passenger record, busiest month in history Boparai then made two calls to Birla asking for Victim 2's Facebook profile. Boparai subsequently received a Facebook profile picture of Victim 2, which he showed to the confidential informant, according to the DOJ. On March 24, 2023, Sandhu and Birla met with the confidential informant in a parking lot in Manteca. Sandhu and Birla claimed that Boparai was out of town, but Boparai was observed by surveillance remaining in a car in the same parking lot. The DOJ said Sandhu and Birla instructed the confidential informant to kill Victim 2 and take Victim 2's remains to Mexico in a suitcase. All three defendants were arrested on March 31, 2023, and are currently in federal custody. On Friday, Sandhu pleaded guilty. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 13 and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Boparai pleaded guilty for his role in the offense on Jan. 23, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 7. He faces the same penalties as Sandhu. Birla, however, is facing allegations. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
