Featured photo credit to the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian, where another pair of Ruby slippers is on display. The slippers on the left are the ones recovered in this case.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota announced a federal indictment around the theft of one of four pairs of Ruby Slippers worn in the Judy Garland classic The Wizard of Oz.
These were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids and recovered by the FBI in 2018. According to the grand jury’s indictment, Terry Martin stole the slippers in 2005.
At the time, they were insured for $1 million, but the estimated value is at least $3.5 million.
The four surviving pairs of Ruby Red slippers are considered one of the most recognizable pieces of art in American film, so Martin is facing charges for the theft of a major artwork from a museum.
The investigation is ongoing.
Martin’s indictment was heard in Minneapolis Tuesday.
