Man indicted in theft of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in ‘Wizard of Oz’

A man accused of stealing an authentic pair of the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” has been indicted by a grand jury, federal authorities said Wednesday.

Terry Martin, 76, allegedly stole the iconic piece of film memorabilia from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn. in 2005. He was charged with one count of theft of a major artwork, prosecutors said.

The ruby slippers were famously worn by the young Dorothy Gale, played by Garland in the 1939 MGM classic, as she follows the yellow brick road on her way to Emerald City.

Originally silver in the 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, the magic slippers “were purportedly changed to ruby to take full advantage of color photography,” according to the Library of Congress.

The shoes are made with materials including plastic, silk thread and glass, and are covered with red satin, to which 2,300 sequins are applied. The bows on top of the shoes are said to contain red glass beads.

The stolen slippers were one of the four remaining pairs, federal prosecutors said Wednesday in a news release. They were recovered by the FBI and the Grand Rapids Police Department in July 2018.

At the time of the theft, they were insured for $1 million, though they are currently valued at around $3.5 million. They are “widely viewed as among the most recognizable memorabilia in American film history,” Justice Department officials said.

The world-famous slippers were stolen while on loan to the Judy Garland Museum, in her hometown of Grand Rapids.

In a statement shared on Facebook Wednesday afternoon, the museum said the slippers will “stay in FBI evidence until all [legal] proceedings are complete.”

“Until the court cases are done, nothing can be done with them,” the museum said.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI division in Minneapolis.

With News Wire Services