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