Jerry Hal Saliterman threatened to release a sex tape of a woman if she told the F.B.I. about the theft of the famed red pumps, according to an indictment.
A second man has been charged in connection with the 2005 theft of a pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz,” according to the authorities, who said that he had threatened to release a sex tape of a woman if she told the authorities about the theft.
The man, Jerry Hal Saliterman, 76, of Hennepin County, Minn., was charged on Friday with one count of theft of major artwork and one count of witness tampering, according to court records that were released on Sunday. He did not enter a plea when he appeared in the U.S. District Court in St. Paul on Friday.
The famed red-sequined pumps, one of several pairs that Garland wore in filming “The Wizard of Oz,” were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn., in 2005. The whereabouts of the slippers were a mystery for years until 2018, when the F.B.I. announced that they had been recovered.
According to the indictment, between August 2005 and July 2018, Mr. Saliterman “received, concealed, and disposed of an object of cultural heritage,” referring to the ruby slippers, which the indictment says he knew were stolen. Last year, Mr. Saliterman tried to intimidate an unidentified woman by threatening to reveal a sex tape of her to her family if “she did not keep her mouth shut” and spoke with the F.B.I. about the theft, the indictment said.
Mr. Saliterman was released on Friday on his own recognizance, according to court documents. He was photographed leaving the courthouse in a wheelchair, carrying a portable breathing machine. His next court appearance had not been scheduled as of Monday afternoon.
Source: nytimes.com
