An indictment made public on Sunday charges Jerry Hal Saliterman, aged 76, of Crystal, Minnesota, in connection with the 2005 theft of a pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz. Saliterman, who made his first appearance in U.S. District Court in St. Paul on Friday, faces charges of theft of a major artwork and witness tampering but did not enter a plea.
The ruby slippers, decorated with sequins and glass beads, were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, almost two decades ago, and their location remained unknown until the FBI recovered them in 2018.
The indictment alleges that from August 2005 to July 2018, Saliterman “received, concealed, and disposed of an object of cultural heritage”—specifically, “an authentic pair of ‘ruby slippers’ worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.” It states that Saliterman was aware they were stolen and threatened to release a sex tape of a woman and “take her down with him” if she spoke about the slippers.
During his court appearance on Friday, Saliterman was in a wheelchair and using supplemental oxygen. He remained silent about the allegations, responding only with “yes” when asked if he understood the charges. The details of the case were not discussed openly in court, and the indictment was not publicly available until Sunday, despite being unsealed on Friday.
After the hearing, Saliterman’s attorney, John Brink, stated that he couldn’t provide much information about the case but asserted his client’s innocence, saying, “He’s not guilty. He hasn’t done anything wrong.” Saliterman, who was released on his own recognizance, declined to comment to The Associated Press outside the courthouse.
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