Another individual faces charges related to the 2005 theft of Judy Garland’s iconic ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz.”
Jerry Hal Saliterman, 76, of Crystal, Minnesota, was indicted on charges of witness tampering and theft of a significant piece of art. The Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, had sequined and beaded shoes stolen from them over twenty years ago. Until the FBI found them in 2018, their whereabouts remained a mystery.
According to the indictment, Saliterman was aware that the slippers he possessed were stolen, and he threatened a woman that he would release an X-rated compromising film of her if she didn’t remain silent.
On Friday, Saliterman appeared in court while confined to a wheelchair and dependent on supplementary oxygen. After Friday’s hearing, his attorney, John Brink, stated that Saliterman is not guilty but declined to comment further on the matter.
Reporters approached Saliterman outside the courthouse, but he chose not to talk. He was freed on his own recognizance.
The 76-year-old Terry Jon Martin, who admittedly used a hammer to smash the glass of the museum’s door and display case in an effort to get “one last score” after renouncing a life of crime, pleaded guilty in October to stealing a significant artwork.
Due to his ill condition, he was sentenced to time served in January.
On her way back to Kansas from Oz, Garland’s Dorothy had to click her ruby slippers three times and say, “There’s no place like home,” in the iconic 1939 musical. Only four original pairs are known to exist. The specific method by which the FBI located the slippers was never made public. The FBI sting in Minneapolis the next year led to the recovery of the slippers.
According to federal prosecutors, the slippers are worth around $3.5 million.
