Man who stole Wizard of Oz ruby slippers sentenced to no additional time in prison
By Brammhi Balarajan and Andy Rose, CNN
(CNN) — The man who stole the ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz” for “one last score” will spend no additional time in prison for breaking into the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota in 2005 and making off with the historic shoes, according to court documents.
On Monday, a federal judge accepted the recommendation of prosecutors that Terry Martin be sentenced to time served and one year of supervised release, court documents said. Prosecutors recommended no jail time for Martin because of his poor health.
“Martin is on oxygen at all times … and a medical determination was made that Martin’s illness is terminal, and his life expectancy is less than six months,” prosecutors said in a court filing.
Martin stole the slippers from the museum, which is dedicated to actress Judy Garland in her hometown of Grand Rapids, after being approached by what he called an “old mob associate” offering him a job, Martin told authorities. His attorneys said in a court filing that the temptation of “one last score” was too much for him to resist.
Martin admitted to stealing the slippers by busting through the door and breaking the plexiglass container that held the shoes with a sledgehammer. He claims he only had the slippers for two days and refused to name his associate.
After 13 long years – in which the only piece of evidence was a fallen sequin – the FBI uncovered the long-lost slippers in a 2018 sting operation when other suspects attempted to collect the insurance award, according to Martin’s plea agreement.
According to Martin, the associate wanted the slippers not for its cultural importance, but because he mistakenly thought the slippers contained real rubies that could be sold.
The slippers are one of four known pairs still known to exist that Judy Garland wore in her role of Dorothy in the iconic 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz.”
Martin would have received more than six years in prison under normal sentencing guidelines, prosecutors said, but asked for no jail time due to the severity of his illness.
Martin also was ordered to pay $23,500 restitution to the museum.
“He has to pay $300/month until he dies,” defense attorney Dane DeKrey told CNN.
The-CNN-Wire
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