'The Wizard of Oz': Man Indicted for Stealing Judy Garland's Red Slippers

A Minnesota man was indicted for stealing one of the most iconic movie props in history, Judy Garland's ruby red slippers used in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz. Terry Martin allegedly stole one of the four remaining pairs from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005. The FBI recovered the slippers in 2018.

Martin was indicted by a federal grand chuy for the "theft of an object of cultural heritage from the care, custody, or control of a museum," the federal prosecutors in North Dakota said Wednesday. He was charged with one count of theft of major artwork. The incident was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The case was assigned to the U.S. Attorney's Office in North Dakota.

The one-page indictment offered no further details of the FBI's investigation. Martin refused to comment when the StarTribune contacted him, saying he has to "go on trial." Judy Garland Museum executive director Janie Heitz said she was unfamiliar with Martin and only learned someone was charged after reporters began contacting the museum. Martin's first court appearance has not been scheduled yet.

The slippers disappeared from the Judy Garland Museum on Aug. 28, 2005. Twelve years later, a person approached the slippers' insurance company about how they could be returned, according to the FBI. Grand Rapids police asked for the FBI's assistance, leading to a year-long investigation. The slippers were then found in an undercover operation in Minneapolis. The slippers were insured for $1 million, but the appraisal value now sits at $3.5 million, the FBI said.

At the time of the slippers' recovery, Special Agent Christopher Dudley said the case was far from over. They asked the public for help in identifying other people involved in hiding the slippers. "There are certainly people out there who have additional knowledge regarding both the theft and the individuals responsible for concealing the slippers all these years," Dudley said in September 2018. "We are asking that you come forward."

After the slippers were found, the FBI sent them to the Smithsonian to be compared to one of the other remaining pairs of ruby slippers. Smithsonian conservator Dawn Wallace confirmed the recovered slippers were made of the same materials as the museum's pair.

The Judy Garland Museum is housed inside the Hollywood icon's childhood home. When the slippers were stolen, they were on loan from Hollywood memorabilia collector Michael Shaw. In 2018, he told The New York Times he bought the shoes for $2,000 in 1970. One of the other remaining pairs is held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A private collector has the fourth pair, reports the Associated Press.