A new suspect has been indicted over the 2005 theft of a pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” — and this one tried to use a sex tape to cover up the heist.
Jerry Hal Saliterman, 76, was charged with witness tampering and theft of a major artwork, according to a newly unsealed indictment out of St. Paul, Minnesota.
The Crystal resident was arrested in connection to the theft of a pair of the iconic shoes worn during Garland’s portrayal of Dorothy in the 1939 film, which were lifted from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids by a thief who thought they were encrusted with real rubies.
When the crook discovered they were in fact coated in nothing more than glass beads, he passed them along to an associate.
It remains unclear whether Saliterman is that associate, but the indictment says between 2005 and 2018 he “received, concealed, and disposed of an object of cultural heritage,” later naming the ruby slippers as the object.
While in possession of the slippers, he allegedly leveraged a sex tape of a woman who knew about the heist to keep her quiet and promised “take her down with him” if she spoke.
The elderly defendant didn’t enter a plea during a court appearance on Friday, but an attorney denied the charges against him outside the courthouse.
“He’s not guilty. He hasn’t done anything wrong,” attorney John Brink said.
The wheelchair-bound Saliterman, whose oxygen machine could be heard helping him breathe throughout the proceedings, was released on his own recognizance and declined to answer questions from reporters.
Back in January, Terry Jon Martin, 76, was found guilty of using a hammer to smash apart the slippers’ display case nearly two decades ago.
A former mobster, Martin had retired from a life of crime but was lured by what his attorney called “one last score” after a former associate speculated that the slippers must have real rubies on them because of their $1 million insurance value.
During the mere 48 hours Martin had the slippers in his possession, he discovered that the rubies were fake and passed them to the associate who put the idea in his head and told him he never wanted to see the slippers again, according to his attorney.
Marin, also wheelchair-bound and dependent on an oxygen machine, was spared prison time over his declining health, but was required to pay $23,500 in restitution.
The judge said he would have given Martin 10 years in prison if he were caught two decades ago.
Judy Garland wore multiple pairs of ruby slippers during filming of the movie, but only four remaining pairs have been identified.
The pair stolen by Martin were recovered by the FBI and returned to the owner who had lent them to the museum.
With Post wires
