Topline A 76-year-old Michigan man pleaded guilty Friday to charges stemming from the theft of a pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, after he previously pleaded not guilty to taking the iconic shoes that prosecutors estimate to be worth millions.
Federal prosecutors estimate the slippers to be worth $3.5 million.
WireImage Key Facts Terry Jon Martin pleaded guilty to one count of major artwork theft, after prosecutors said he stole the slippers from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005, according to a court filing.
During a court appearance Friday, Martin admitted to using a sledgehammer to break into the museum and to break into the case that contained the slippers, according to CBS News.
Martin said he believed the shoes were covered in real rubies before attempting to sell them to a fence—someone who purchases stolen goods—who then revealed to Martin the “rubies” were made of glass.
After learning the rubies were made of glass, Martin said he “left them” at an undisclosed location.
U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz did not set a sentencing date for Martin, who faces up to 10 years in prison.
Crucial Quote Martin’s attorney, Dane DeKrey, said Friday his client changed his plea because “Terry is facing his own mortality, and I think when people are reaching that point in their life, they cut through the pleasantries and talk turkey,” according to the Associated Press.
Big Number $3.5 million. That’s how much the ruby slippers are estimated to be worth, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in North Dakota. At the time of the theft, the slippers were insured for $1 million.
Key Background Martin was indicted in May for stealing the pair of ruby slippers, one of four pairs made for the 1939 film, though prosecutors did not disclose how they connected Martin to the theft. Martin “stole an object of cultural heritage” from the Judy Garland Museum on August 27 or August 28, 2005, according to the indictment, which estimated the slippers to be worth at least $100,000. The slippers were recovered in 2018, a year after someone approached the company that insured the slippers to indicate he had information about how the shoes could be returned, according to an FBI announcement. The slippers were then discovered during an “undercover operation” in Minneapolis, the FBI said. The slippers are now at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., where the shoes have been authenticated, according to CBS.
Further Reading Man Charged With Stealing ‘Wizard Of Oz’ Ruby Slippers Worth Around $3.5 Million (Forbes)
Terry Martin Changes Plea To Guilty In Theft Of “The Wizard Of Oz” Ruby Slippers (CBS News)