Dying Thief Who Stole ‘Wizard of Oz’ Ruby Slippers From Minnesota Museum Will Likely Avoid Prison

Ruby slippers once worn by Judy Garland in the "The Wizard of Oz" are displayed at a news conference at the FBI office in Brooklyn Center, Minn., on Sept. 4, 2018. Jeff Baenen/AP Photo

MINNEAPOLIS—A dying thief who confessed to stealing a pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in “The Wizard of Oz” because he wanted to pull off “one last score” is expected to stay out of prison after he’s sentenced Monday.

Terry Jon Martin, 76, stole the slippers in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in the late actor’s hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. He gave into temptation after an old mob associate told him the shoes had to be adorned with real jewels to justify their $1 million insured value, his attorney revealed in a memo to the federal court ahead of his sentencing in Duluth.