2023-05-21 14:07:05
The legendary red shoes from the Wizard of Oz were stolen in 2005, then found in 2018.
Nearly twenty years following the fact, a Minnesota man has been charged with stealing the famous ruby shoes worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz.
On Tuesday, Terry Martin was indicted by a grand jury on one count of theft of a major work of art, according to the federal prosecutors. According to the indictment, Mr. Martin allegedly stole the red sequined shoes from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids in 2005. At the time, the slippers were insured for $1 million, while their current market value is approximately $3.5 million. The charges are the result of a federal investigation into the theft of these pumps.
The shoes were on loan to the Judy Garland Museum, located in the late actress’s hometown, when someone climbed through a window and smashed the display case. During the investigation, several rewards were offered for the return of the shoes. Law enforcement offered $250,000 early in the case, while an anonymous Arizona donor offered $1 million in 2015.
The slippers were eventually found by the FBI and Grand Rapids police in July 2018. They are one of four remaining pairs. As prosecutors noted, the shoes are among the most recognizable memorabilia in American movie history. The other three pairs Garland wore in the film are in the collections of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Smithsonian and a private collector.
Janie Heitz, executive director of the Judy Garland Museum, told theAssociated Press that she and her team were ” a little speechless at the thought that someone had finally been charged. At the time of the theft, the shoes had been loaned by Michael Shaw, a Hollywood memorabilia collector, who received an insurance payout. Ms Heitz hopes the shoes will be returned to the museum following the case is over.
Emily Zemler
Translated by the editor
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