MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A man accused of concealing a stolen pair of sequined ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” is set to plead guilty, his attorney confirmed on Friday.
The iconic slippers went missing in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, sparking a 13-year-long mystery. However, the FBI successfully located and recovered the stolen footwear in 2018. Sold at auction by Heritage Auctions last month, the slippers fetched an unprecedented $32.5 million, making them the most expensive movie memorabilia ever sold. The identity of the buyer remains undisclosed.
Jerry Hal Saliterman, now 77 and residing in Crystal, Minnesota, faces charges of theft of a major artwork and witness tampering, brought against him in March. Although Saliterman is expected to initially plead not guilty during his arraignment before a federal magistrate judge on Monday, a subsequent change of plea hearing has been scheduled for January 10. Saliterman’s attorney, John C. Brink, confirmed to The Associated Press that his client intends to change his plea to guilty during the upcoming hearing, although details regarding any potential plea agreement have not been disclosed.
Terry Jon Martin, also 77, previously pleaded guilty in 2023 to theft of a major artwork, admitting to the theft of the ruby slippers in what his attorney described as a final criminal endeavor after renouncing a life of crime. Martin was sentenced in January to time served due to his declining health.
According to the indictment against Saliterman, he was involved in concealing the stolen slippers between August 2005 and July 2018, knowingly possessing an object of cultural heritage that had been unlawfully taken. Reports indicate that Saliterman, too, is in poor health, as evidenced by his appearance in court last March, where he was in a wheelchair and required supplemental oxygen.
Connections between Martin and Saliterman have not been explicitly detailed by authorities. Martin, a resident near Grand Rapids, mentioned during his plea hearing in October 2023 that he had aimed to sell what he believed were authentic ruby adornments from the shoes. Subsequently learning from a fence – an individual who deals in stolen goods – that the rubies were in fact not genuine, Martin claimed he disposed of the slippers, declining to elaborate on the method of disposal.
While portraying Dorothy in the enduring 1939 musical, Judy Garland wore multiple pairs of ruby slippers, with only four pairs known to have survived. Michael Shaw, a Hollywood memorabilia enthusiast, had previously loaned his pair to the museum before it was pilfered by Martin. Shaw later recovered the slippers and auctioned them off last month.
Born Frances Gumm in 1922, Judy Garland spent her early years in Grand Rapids before rising to stardom and ultimately passing away in 1969. The Judy Garland Museum, located
