A second man has been charged in the 2005 theft of a pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz,” according to authorities, who said he had threatened to release a sex tape of a woman. if he told the authorities about the theft.
The man, Jerry Hal Saliterman, 76, of Hennepin County, Minn., was charged Friday with one count of major art theft and one count of witness tampering, according to court records released Sunday. He did not speak when he appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Paul on Friday.
The famous red sequined slippers, one of several pairs Garland wore on the set of “The Wizard of Oz,” were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn., in 2005. The slippers’ whereabouts were a mystery for years until 2018, when the FBI announced they had been recovered.
According to the indictment, between August 2005 and July 2018, Mr. Shaliterman “received, concealed and disposed of an item of cultural heritage,” referring to the ruby slippers, which the indictment says he knew were stolen. Last year, Mr. Shaliterman tried to intimidate an unidentified woman by threatening to reveal a sex tape of her to her family if she “didn’t keep her mouth shut” and spoke to the FBI about the theft, the indictment said.
Mr. Shaliterman was released Friday on his own recognizance, according to court documents. He was photographed leaving the courthouse in a wheelchair, holding a portable breathing machine. His next court appearance was not scheduled for Monday afternoon.
It was unclear if any other arrests were expected in connection with the theft.
John Brink, Mr. Shaliterman’s lawyer, said on Monday that Mr. Shaliterman planned to plead not guilty when he is arraigned.
“He has done nothing wrong,” Mr Brink said.
Prosecutors declined to comment on the case while it is pending.
The first defendant in the case, Terry Martin, 76, of Minnesota, pleaded guilty in October 2023 to one count of theft of an important work of art. He was given free time in prison and was instead sentenced in January to one year of supervised release. Mr. Martin was also ordered to pay $23,500 in restitution to the Judy Garland Museum.
Federal prosecutors and Mr. Martin’s lawyers had agreed that he should not face prison time because he has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, requires oxygen and is in hospice care. Prosecutors said in January that Mr. Martin was not expected to live beyond the next six months.
Dane DeKrey, Mr. Martin’s lawyer, wrote in court documents that Mr. Martin had “no idea” that the ruby slippers were such a well-known cultural item in American film and that he believed the shoes were made with “real rubies that he could peel and sell on the black market. Mr Martin said his plan was thwarted when he learned the gems were made of glass.
Mr. Martin had prior experience with stolen jewelry and had spent time in prison for burglary, according to Mr. DeKrey. In 2005, Mr. Martin had been out of prison for 10 years when an “old mob associate” contacted him about “a job,” Mr. DeKrey wrote in court papers.
It was not clear whether the authorities claimed that Mr. Shaliterman had asked Mr. Martin to steal the ruby slippers. Public records show that Mr. Shaliterman has a long criminal history, with prior convictions for fraud, theft and shoplifting.
Mr. Shaliterman was sentenced to 10 years in prison in April 1988 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud the federal government and credit card fraud, The Star Tribune in Minneapolis reported at the time. Mr. Schaliterman was one of two people involved in “a sophisticated fencing ring that traded in expensive furs, art and sports cars,” the paper said.
