Dying thief who stole 'Wizard of Oz' ruby slippers from Minnesota museum will likely avoid prison

kare11.com ^ | Associated Press

[V_TWIN]

"Martin, who lives near Grand Rapids, said at the October hearing that he hoped to remove what he thought were real rubies from the shoes and sell them. But a person who deals in stolen goods, known as a fence, informed him the rubies were glass, Martin said. So he got rid of the slippers"

OOPS 🫢

[Seruzawa]

Criminals: morons doing bad things badly.

[Yo-Yo]

As I recall there were more than one pair of Ruby Slippers made for the movie.

I saw a pair at the Smithonian in Washington, D.C. over a decade ago.

From Wikipedia:

The ruby slippers are a pair of shoes worn by Dorothy Gale as played by Judy Garland in the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical film The Wizard of Oz. Because of their iconic stature, they are among the most valuable items of film memorabilia. A number of pairs were made for the film, though the exact number is unknown. Five pairs are known to have survived; one pair was stolen from a museum in 2005 and recovered in 2018.

[Responsibility2nd]

Minnesota?

Last time I looked those ruby slippers were at the Smithsonian in Washington DC.

And I don’t think there were duplicates.

[OttawaFreeper]

I also saw them at the Smithsonian in Washington DC. Didn’t get to see Archie Bunker’s chair though, lol.

[Responsibility2nd]

Oh. Disregard Post 4. See Post 3.

[V_TWIN]

“I saw a pair at the Smithonian in Washington, D.C. over a decade ago”

IIRC I saw those at the Smithonian in 1978! Lol!

[rey]

Maybe they should just send the flying monkeys after him?

[V_TWIN]

See post 3

“A number of pairs were made for the film, though the exact number is unknown. Five pairs are known to have survived”

[rey]

Not real rubies? You probably can’t cluck your heels and be transported home either. How disappointing.

[Dr. Sivana]

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

Doesn't the mob associate realize that those shoes are worth $1 million because any Size 3 woman could put them on and teleport home at any time? Heck, it's almost as good as Bilbo's ring!

[telescope115]

I do remember seeing a show about this heist some years ago. It was a real mystery how it was pulled off because the thief had to bypass some security.

That’s all I really remember, I don’t know what program it was.

[V_TWIN]

I know right?

There’s a reason criminals don’t have real jobs......usually not the brightest of bulbs.

[Smittie]

They were found by Josh Gates,of Expedition Unknown on The Discovery Channel in 2018.

[Billthedrill]

Yeah, but they only take her to Kansas.

[telescope115]

Well, I don’t think they’re in Kansas anymore….

[mass55th]

As usual, criminals walk without having to accept any responsibility for their lawbreaking, and on the other hand President Trump is being prosecuted, and found guilty for things he never did. What a country!!

[Rio]

Stolen in 2005 in Minnesota and recovered in 2018.
Were they found in Kansas maybe?

[V_TWIN]

What those knuckleheads (especially the fence) missed is there was more than likely someone out there that would have purchased the shoes in tact for a tidy sum.

Art thieves do the exact same thing. Sell to an anonymous person that just wants to appreciate the item in private.

I guess those idiots never saw The Thomas Crown Affair movie.

[TexasGator]

See #3