DULUTH — The man who last year confessed to stealing Dorothy’s famous ruby slippers from a Grand Rapids museum in 2005 will not serve prison time for his crime.
Terry Jon Martin, the 76-year-old Grand Rapids man behind the infamous break-in at the Judy Garland Museum nearly two decades ago, appeared Monday, Jan. 29, in a federal courtroom in Duluth.
The slippers were one of the last remaining original pairs from “The Wizard of Oz,” which starred the actress who once called Grand Rapids home.
As part of a plea agreement, Martin’s attorney asked the judge for no more jail time, given Martin’s failing health.
The Star Tribune reports the judge did order Martin to pay $300 a month in restitution to the museum.
According to court records, requests for restitution on behalf of John Kelsch, the former museum director, and the insurance company that appraised the slippers after they went missing, did not meet the legal requirements.
The museum estimated it suffered $87,000 in revenue loss because of lost admission and membership fees in the four years after the burglary. Museum officials also say they lost public trust while insurers appeared to blame the museum for the theft and collectors would not lend memorabilia.
The parties agreed Martin should be responsible for about $23,000 in losses to the museum.
In court filings leading up to Monday's hearing, Martin’s attorneys described him as a reformed criminal who wanted to take part in “one last score.” At the time of the burglary, Martin believed the slippers to be made of actual rubies — but he soon learned they were instead made of sequins and glass.
According to Martin, he had nothing else to do with the slippers and their whereabouts after passing them along to a “fence,” or a person who knowingly buys and sells stolen goods.