One year suspended prison sentence for the thief of the famous red shoes from the “Wizard of Oz”

American Terry Martin, 76, thought the pumps were encrusted with real rubies. He also tried to sell them on the black market.

An American who stole Hollywood’s most famous red pumps, worn by Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz, received a one-year suspended prison sentence on Monday January 29, according to his sentence. Terry Martin, who pleaded guilty to the theft last October, also received a prison sentence already served.

Aged 76, he will remain on parole due to his state of health, the man being hospitalized in palliative care and having only six months to live, according to the New York Times. Prosecutors had not requested a prison sentence against him, Terry Martin having appeared in court in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank.

A legendary Hollywood prop

Dorothy’s famous sequined shoes mysteriously disappeared in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, the actress’ hometown, Minnesota. Then, as if by magic, but above all thanks to the FBI, the precious accessories – one of the four pairs remaining after the filming of the cult 1939 film – reappeared in 2018.

Terry Martin said he stole the pumps thinking they were encrusted with real rubies and then sought to sell them on the black market. Over the years, the amount of the bounty offered to find the pumps had soared, with one patron going so far as to offer a million dollars. North Dakota prosecutors now estimate them at $3.5 million.

According to the Department of Justice, these ruby ​​shoes are “considered one of the most famous props in the history of American cinema”. In the musical film adapted from the novel of the same name, Dorothy, the young heroine, clicks her heels together three times to make her dearest wish come true: to return home to Kansas.