A 76-year-old man has become the second to face charges over the theft of a pair of ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, according to an indictment released Sunday and obtained by the Associated Press. Jerry Hal Saliterman of Crystal, Minnesota, was charged with theft of a major artwork and witness tampering, accused of knowing the slippers were stolen and even threatening a woman with a sex tape if she spoke out about the stolen items, adding he allegedly told her that would “take her down with him.” It is unclear how he is connected to the slipper thief, 76-year-old Terry Jon Martin. Martin pleaded guilty in October last year to theft of a major artwork and was sentenced to time served due to ill health. According to the Associated Press, Saliterman, who was in a wheelchair and on supplemental oxygen at his court appearance on Friday at U.S. District Court in St. Paul, did not enter a plea. The indictment claims Saliterman “received, concealed, and disposed of an object of cultural heritage” between August 2005 to July 2018. The slippers were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota and remained missing until 2018. After his court appearance Saliterman’s attorney told the Associated Press his client was not guilty. “He hasn’t done anything wrong, ” John Brink said. Saliterman declined to comment and was released on his own recognizance.
