Man faces federal charges in theft of iconic slippers worn by Judy Garland in 'The Wizard of Oz'

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MINNEAPOLIS – A pair of the iconic sequined ruby red slippers worn by “Dorothy” in “The Wizard of Oz” were snatched from the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota in 2005. They were subsequently recovered during an undercover operation in Minneapolis in 2018. Now a man faces federal charges for theft of major artwork.

Although the famed slippers were insured for $1 million at the time of the theft, they are currently appraised at $3.5 million. The shoes are among the most recognizable American film memorabilia from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the childhood home of the famous actress who played “Dorothy” in the 1939 film, “The Wizard of Oz.”

Terry Martin was identified as the alleged thief, and faces federal charges for the heist of the footwear worn by “Dorothy” as she skipped along the fictional “Yellow Brick Road.” He was indicted by a federal grand jury for “the theft of an object of cultural heritage from the care, custody, or control of a museum,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota said in a press release.

Martin was formally charged Tuesday in federal court in Minneapolis with one count of theft of major artwork, according to officials.

The recovered stolen shoes, known as the “traveling pair,” are one of several pairs used in the movie classic, yet only four pairs are known to remain in existence.

Shoes worn by Judy Garland who played “Dorothy” in “The Wizard of Oz.” (Wikipedia Commons)

The slippers were originally stolen from the Judy Garland Museum on Aug. 28, 2005. More than a dozen years later, an individual approached the insurance company and said he had information about the shoes and how they could be recovered, Law&Crime reported.

However, it was more of a devious plan “when it became apparent that those involved were, in reality, attempting to extort the owners of the slippers,” said Special Agent Christopher Dudley, who led the investigation from the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office.

Following an undercover operation that lasted nearly a year, the slippers were recovered in July 2018 in Minneapolis with the assistance of the FBI’s Art Crime Team, the FBI Laboratory and field offices in Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami, officials said.

The nearly 80-year-old slippers were transported to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington for analysis.

The recovered shoes showed their construction, materials, and wear were consistent with the pair in the museum’s collection, which were acquired from an anonymous donor in 1979, according to Law&Crime.

“And it turns out the recovered shoes and the pair in the museum’s collection are mismatched twins,” officials confirmed.

Dawn Wallace, a conservator for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, analyzes one of the recovered slippers at the Smithsonian’s Conservation Lab in Washington, D.C. (Smithsonian photo)

Smithsonian curator Ryan Lintelman specializes in American film history. He said there were likely six or more pairs of the iconic shoes made for the film.

“It was common that you would create multiple copies of costumes and props,” he noted.

During the passage of time, the shoes were somehow mixed up.

The Smithsonian’s ruby slippers “are among the most requested objects by visitors to the museum,” Lintelman said. “There is an emotional response that visitors have. People’s eyes light up.”