GUILTY, The Road to Dorothy’s Stolen Ruby Slippers – United States vs Terry Jon Martin – Part 4

Part Four: The unknown and an aftermath

Dear Hasbro Entertainment: I have a suggestion for your holiday sales. A special edition CLUE Wizard of Oz game titled: Dorothy's Ruby Red Slippers. I think Miss Scarlett would welcome the new list of characters and suspects. Make sure to include a sledgehammer in the mix of weapons. The rooms could be switched out with places the mysterious shoes may have visited. The Judy Garland Children's Discovery Museum should sit at the center of the board while the Great Oz looks on. Oh, what a game it would be!

Recap: In late August 2005, the Judy Garland Museum was burglarized. A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the popular film The Wizard of Oz had been on display under a plexiglass case in the museum. Owned by Hollywood memorabilia collector Michael Shaw, the shoes, referred to as "the traveling shoes" were on their fourth loan to the Grand Rapids, MN, Museum.

Shaw had delighted in exhibiting pieces of his expansive movie memorabilia in varying locales across the nation. The traveling shoes provided Shaw with an income and notoriety. He was one of only a handful of owners of the iconic movie set slippers. Shaw, who had purchased the shoes in 1970, said he was absolutely devastated when he received the call that the slippers had been stolen.

"For 35-years, those shoes were my pride of place; they played a role in brightening the lives of children everywhere – I was crushed," Shaw said. Nothing but shards of broken glass, a failed alarm system, a less than adequate security camera, and an unused safe remained at the scene. The burglar had stumbled upon the perfect storm.

Cast of Characters & Suspects: For the next 18 years, the search for the stolen ruby slippers took its toll. The security and failed alarm system at the museum was called into question. Museum Curator John Kelsh and his employees were placed under the lens of a microscope. Locals whispered it was an inside job.

Out in California, shoe owner Michael Shaw was facing questions – insurance fraud – that had to be ruled out before he was paid $800k from a one-million-dollar policy carried on the shoes.

The local police were criticized for not bringing in larger state and federal authorities early on. Colorful rumors led to many dead-end investigations. The birthplace of Judy Garland sat on edge for thirteen more years until another cast of characters came to the forefront, this time incentivized by the offer of a reward.

Respected Secret Service Agent Michael Insabella (1947-2022) may have truly believed he was rightfully assisting in the return of the emblematic shoes to the public, when he was asked to serve as a negotiating (Florida) middleman at a request of a Minnesota snowbird, attorney Joe Friedberg.

Friedberg built his distinguished defense career on both high-and low-profile criminal cases earning him a reputation that was brassy and bold. His reputation and skills in a courtroom also put him in an adversarial position with law enforcement.

Cops want criminals collared. Joe often won cases based on poor police work. Friedberg had some backstory information on the slipper theft. He convinced the retired secret service agent that together they might be successful in managing the return of the shoes with an added benefit - reward money. Two professional and by all accounts, financially successful men were looking to bring the shoes out of hiding and return them home – or at least back to the Markel Insurance Company, the legal owner of the shoes.

The FBI came calling for both men as enforcement stings played out in Minnesota and Florida on July 5, 2018. The FBI took control of the shoes while claiming the two "bad guys" were extortionists. Insabella and Friedberg were never taken into custody and to date, have never been charged with any crime relating to the recovery of the ruby slippers. Most notable in the sting of 2018, not one person was arrested.

A suspect's name was pushed forward. It was comedian Louie Anderson's safe-cracking career criminal brother Kent Anderson (1935-2007). Friedberg named Anderson as the slipper thief and planner. Anderson's son Scott said he wasn't surprised by the accusation and that Friedberg had represented his dad in the past. As for the name of the actual burglar, Terry Jon Martin – sources allege he was never on the FBI's radar, EVER. So, to the art world, what followed came as a surprise.

The Indictment: On May 16, 2023, the U.S. District Court of Minnesota filed its indictment against Terry Jon Martin for the felony theft of an object of cultural heritage from the care, custody, or control of a museum.

On May 17, the news of the indictment broke nationally and internationally. Coincidence or curse, that day turned fateful for a former [2005] girlfriend of Martin's who died unexpectedly that morning. Did she know Martin's secret – that he was the slipper thief?

A successful June 22, 2023, protective order was granted in the case allowing the FBI to keep the curtain closed on the full details of shoes whereabouts from the 2005 theft to the indictment of Martin in 2023.

The Testimony: On October, Friday, the 13, 2023, Martin, age 76, arrived at the Duluth Federal Courthouse assisted by his wife, Manuela. No longer a man of husky brawn, Martin appeared ill and infirm, needing oxygen and a wheelchair. He did not respond to any reporter questions. Martin's wife, known as Chris Abraham or Marquis Martin (facing her own immigration and deportation issues) was visibly stressed. Martin followed a tight and narrow script set for that August night. He testified he cased the museum on an earlier visit. On the evening of the burglary, he arrived at the museum by automobile. He carried a sledgehammer to break the glass. He entered the building and broke the case containing the ruby slippers. He took the slippers and left the scene returning to his trailer home. He placed the slippers in another trailer on the property. He stated he thought the slippers had real rubies.

*The ruby red slippers are art-deco inspired and the bows of the slippers hold three large rectangular red-glass jewels which are surrounded by dark red bugle beads.

Martin explained to the judge he gave the shoes to his friend, a jewelry fence, only to discover the rubies were glass. Martin said that was the last contact he had with the slippers. Later questioning revealed he did know that the shoes had at some time gone out of state.

There was no mention of an accomplice or accomplices leading up to or on the evening of the burglary. The jewelry fence friend was not identified. Was it Kent Anderson or Martin's longtime associate and criminal cohort, Jerry Hal Saliterman? How many more characters were part of this complex crime that landed the shoes in the hands of attorney Joe Friedberg, and ultimately in the hands of the FBI.

Martin awaits his sentencing - his plea agreement is based on a downward departure with Martin serving no time in prison. The considered agreement between the prosecution and the defense is based on Martin's age, illness, and whatever useful information may have been obtained by the FBI - information that will remain confidential as long as the case is sealed by the protective order.

As for Dorothy's stolen ruby red slippers, the "traveling shoes" – Garland and Oz fans want them back in the public light. When released, Michael Shaw as the original owner, has the first right to purchase the shoes back. He plans to do just that. If he is successful Shaw told me he plans to hang on tight this time – no public showings again. He is still profoundly impacted by this crime. I sense Shaw may soften, for 35-years, it was important to him to bring smiles and satisfaction across the nation. He simply needs time to process a crime that still hurts his heart.

Meanwhile Minnesota legislators have introduced a bill to allocate money to the Minnesota Historical Society to purchase the "traveling shoe" slippers. John Kelsh said he hopes he and Michael Shaw can mend fences. Each of the men were harmed by this crime and further victimized when considered as suspects in this high-profile case. Their common bond is a reverence for Judy Garland and keeping the fantasy and wonderment of the Wizard of Oz alive in our contemporary world.

Terry Martin took the shoes believing the bows were covered in rubies and would lead him to riches. However, fans of the Wizard of Oz know the shoes were never about riches – they contained a power that was priceless. The power of security – "There's no place like home."

Author's note: The Road to Dorothy's stolen Ruby Slippers – United States vs Terry Jon Martin is a four-part series carried in the Grand Rapids Herald Review and the Scenic Range News Forum. You can email Pam at [email protected] I hope you have enjoyed this story.