The FBI has recovered a famous pair of shoes from the film “The Wizard of Oz” after they were stolen 13 years ago
A 76yearold American pleaded guilty this Friday the 13th to stealing the pair of red shoes that Judy Garland wore in the classic almost 20 years ago.The Wizard of Oz“. The couple was rescued by FBI in 2018 and Terry Martin was charged over her disappearance in May of that year. The character “Dorothy’s” shiny shoes were stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, the actress’ hometown in the state of Minnesota. Martin pleaded guilty to a charge of theft of an important work of art and is awaiting his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled in North Dakota, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
In a Minnesota court, the elderly man said he used a hammer to break the acrylic box containing the shoes he stole because he believed they were made of rubies. When he realized the stones were made of glass, he tried to sell the famous shoes on the black market. I wanted nothing to do with them,” Martin told a federal judge in Duluth, according to the Minnesota newspaper StarTribune. He did not explain how he got rid of the shoes and the terms of his agreement with the court were not made public. Prosecutors recommended that Martin, who arrived in court in a wheelchair and carrying an oxygen tank, not serve any prison time.
The shoes were one of four pairs worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film. The Justice Department called it “one of the most notorious objects in the history of American cinema.” At the time of the robbery, the shoes were insured for $1 million (around R$5 million at current prices), but their value was estimated at $3.5 million (almost R$18 million). After they were recovered in 2018, their authenticity was confirmed by the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of American History, which owns another of the four original pairs. After the robbery, Grand Rapids police received numerous tips, Chief Scott Johnson said in 2018. “It’s about more than a pair of shoes,” Johnson said at the time. “It is an enduring symbol of the power of faith.”
*With information from AFP