Almost two decades after the infamous theft of Judy Garland's glittering ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz," a second man has been charged in the case. Jerry Hal Saliterman, 76, faces charges of theft of a major artwork and witness tampering, CBS News Detroit reported. The sparkling shoes were pilfered from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota back in 2005 and remained lost to the world until the FBI's recovery operation in 2018. Saliterman did not enter a plea during his preliminary court appearance last Friday, as per court documents.
In a court filing unsealed on Sunday, Saliterman is accused of "receiving, concealing, and disposing of an object of cultural heritage," according to NBC News. The indictment further alleges that Saliterman knew the sequined shoes were stolen and threatened to release a sex tape of a woman to compel her silence on the matter. Facing the charges in an oxygen wheelchair, Saliterman confirmed his understanding of the charges but remained silent on the allegations against him.
The first man convicted for the actual heist, Terry Jon Martin, admitted he broke into the museum and made off with the slippers with a hammer. His attorney said the goal was to pull off "one last score" after a criminal career, but Martin was informed by a "fence" that the slippers' rubies were fakes, leading him to dispose of them. Subsequently, Martin was sentenced to time served this January due to his deteriorating health, according to details from court documents provided by Star Tribune.
The storied slippers, one of only four authentic pairs left from the 1939 classic film, have an estimated market value of around $3.5 million. After their recovery in an FBI sting operation in Minneapolis, the slippers were said to be returned to owner and Hollywood memorabilia collector Michael Shaw. Details about how FBI agents tracked down the slippers were never fully disclosed. What's clear is that these slippers have journeyed far from the Yellow Brick Road, entangling lives and legacies in a tale of crime and obsession.
