"Thief of 'Wizard of Oz' Ruby Slippers to Avoid Prison"

Terry Jon Martin, a dying thief, is expected to avoid prison after confessing to stealing Judy Garland's ruby slippers from a Minnesota museum in 2005. Martin, who is in hospice care and expected to die within six months, pleaded guilty to theft of a major artwork and is recommended to be sentenced to time served. His attorney revealed that an old mob associate persuaded him to steal the slippers as "one last score," despite Martin having seemingly put his criminal past behind him. The slippers, with a market value of about $3.5 million, were recovered by the FBI in 2018, and Martin is also ordered to pay $23,500 in restitution to the museum.