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☆ He Stole Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers. He Thought They Had Real Rubies.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Michael Levenson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nearly two decades after he broke into the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn., and stole a pair of Dorothy’s ruby slippers used in “The Wizard of Oz,” the man who committed the theft has revealed why: He believed the slippers were adorned with real rubies. Instead, Mr. Martin believed that the slippers must have been made with “real rubies” to justify their $1 million insured value, prosecutors said. He believed he would be able to peel off the gems and sell them on the black market — a plan that backfired when a man who traded in stolen jewels informed him that the gems were made of glass. On Monday, Mr. Martin was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Duluth, Minn., to time served and a year of probation for stealing the slippers after he pleaded guilty in October to one count of theft of a major artwork, Mr. DeKrey said. He was also ordered to pay about $23,000 in restitution to the museum, Mr. DeKrey said.

Persons: Judy Garland, Oz, Terry Martin, Oz ”, Dane DeKrey, Mr, Martin, DeKrey Organizations: Judy Garland Museum Locations: Grand Rapids, Minn, U.S, Court, Duluth

Terry Jon Martin, 76, stole the slippers in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in the late actor’s hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. But a person who deals in stolen goods, known as a fence, informed him the rubies were glass, Martin said. But old habits die hard, and the thought of a ‘final score’ kept him up at night,” DeKrey wrote. Hollywood memorabilia collector Michael Shaw had loaned one pair to the museum when Martin stole them. The Judy Garland Museum, located in the house where she lived, says it has the world’s largest collection of Garland and Wizard of Oz memorabilia.

Persons: —, Judy Garland, Oz, he's, Terry Jon Martin, Martin wasn’t, Dane DeKrey, Martin, DeKrey, ”, Terry, ’, ” DeKrey, “, Patrick Schiltz, Terry ”, Dorothy, Michael Shaw, Garland, Frances Gumm Organizations: Judy Garland Museum, FBI, U.S, District, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Smithsonian Museum of Locations: MINNEAPOLIS, Grand Rapids , Minnesota, Duluth, Grand Rapids, Minneapolis, Kansas, Oz, Hollywood, Los Angeles

Martin pleaded guilty in October to using a hammer to smash the glass of the museum door and display case to take the slippers. Martin had no idea about the cultural significance of the ruby slippers and had never seen the movie. Garland wore several pairs of ruby slippers during filming of the classic 1939 musical, but only four authentic pairs are known to remain. The slippers were on loan to the museum from Hollywood memorabilia collector Michael Shaw when Martin stole them. The Judy Garland Museum, located in the house where she lived, says it has the world’s largest collection of Garland and Wizard of Oz memorabilia.

Persons: Judy Garland, Oz ”, Terry Jon Martin's, Martin wasn't, Martin, Dane DeKrey, hadn't, Terry, ’, DeKrey, ” DeKrey, Terry ”, “, Martin's, ”, Martin didn't, Garland, Michael Shaw, Dorothy, Frances Gumm Organizations: Judy Garland Museum, FBI, Defense, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Smithsonian Museum of Locations: Grand Rapids , Minnesota, Duluth , Minnesota, Minneapolis, Hollywood, Kansas, Grand Rapids, Los Angeles

The shoes from the film were stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in the actress' hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and recovered in 2018 by the FBI. Political Cartoons View All 1209 ImagesGarland wore several pairs of ruby slippers during filming of the classic 1939 musical, but only four authentic pairs are known to remain. The plea agreement was “fulsomely negotiated” between DeKrey and federal prosecutor Matt Greenley and would lay out the “factual basis” for his client's guilty plea, DeKrey said. The ruby slippers were key props in the 1939 movie. The Judy Garland Museum, which opened in 1975 in the house where she lived, says it has the world’s largest collection of Garland and Wizard of Oz memorabilia.

Persons: Judy Garland, Oz ”, Terry Jon Martin, Martin, Dane DeKrey, Terry, ” DeKrey, Garland, “ fulsomely, Matt Greenley, DeKrey, Patrick Schiltz, Schiltz, Michael Shaw, Dorothy, Frances Gumm Organizations: Judy Garland Museum, FBI, District, Twin, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Smithsonian Museum of Locations: MINNEAPOLIS, Grand Rapids , Minnesota, Grand Rapids, Minneapolis, DeKrey, Minnesota, Duluth, Twin Cities, Hollywood, Arizona, Kansas, sequins, Los Angeles

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