Former Mobster Confesses to Stealing 'Wizard of Oz' Ruby Slippers

Terry Jon Martin, lured by the prospect of a 'final score', faces sentencing for the 2005 theft of the iconic shoes.

Terry Jon Martin, a 76-year-old former mobster, has confessed to stealing the iconic ruby slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz' from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005, believing they were adorned with real rubies.
Martin, who had not committed a crime in nearly a decade, was tempted back into crime by an old mob associate who convinced him the shoes were worth stealing for their jewels.
Upon discovering the 'rubies' were in fact glass, Martin discarded the shoes within two days of the theft.
The FBI recovered the shoes in 2018 during a sting operation, but Martin was not charged until 2023.
Martin, now in hospice care with a life expectancy of less than six months, is due to be sentenced on January 29, 2024. Both his defense attorney and prosecutors are recommending a sentence of 'time served'.