The FBI has charged Terry Martin, 76, for allegedly stealing a pair of the ruby slippers worn by Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939). He is accused of smashing a window at Minnesota's Judy Garland Museum and absconding with the shoes back in 2005. Now in FBI custody, they are one of four surviving pairs of the screen-worn slippers. The pair seen above is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
From the BBC News:
They were found in a sting operation launched by the FBI's art crime team[…]
Charging documents released on Tuesday contained no information about what led to Mr Martin's arrest. On Wednesday, he told a reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "I gotta go on trial. I don't want to talk to you."[…]The treasured items of Hollywood memorabilia have been valued at $3.5m (£2.8m), said the US Attorney's Office for the District of North Dakota, adding that they were insured for $1m when they were stolen nearly 18 years ago.
