A dying thief stole a pair of ruby slippers that were worn in The Wizard of Oz because he wanted to pull off "one last score," it has been revealed.
Terry Jon Martin, 76, stole the slippers in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in the late actor's hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
Martin decided to steal the shoes after he was told by an old mob associate that the shoes had been decorated with real jewels, his attorney has revealed ahead of his sentencing on Monday.
The FBI recovered the shoes in 2018 when someone else tried to claim a reward.
Martin wasn't charged with stealing them until last year.
He pleaded guilty in October to theft of a major artwork, admitting to using a hammer to smash the glass of the museum door and display case to take the slippers.
Martin said at the October hearing that he hoped to remove what he thought were real rubies from the shoes and sell them.
But he found out the rubies were glass and so got rid of the slippers.
Defence attorney Dane DeKrey wrote that Martin was persuaded to steal the items even though he had seemed to have "finally put his demons to rest" after finishing his last prison term nearly 10 years ago.
He said in a memo: "At first, Terry declined the invitation to participate in the heist. But old habits die hard, and the thought of a 'final score' kept him up at night.
"After much contemplation, Terry had a criminal relapse and decided to participate in the theft."
Martin is now housebound in hospice care and is expected to die within six months.
He requires constant oxygen therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and was in a wheelchair when he pleaded guilty.
Federal sentencing guidelines would normally recommend a sentence of up to six years, though someone with Martin's criminal history could get an even longer term.
But he "is simply too fragile," prosecutors wrote in a court filing.
A prosecution filing said both sides agreed he should be ordered to pay $23,500 in restitution to the museum.
Martin had no idea about the cultural significance of the ruby slippers and had never seen "The Wizard of Oz."
The slippers were recovered during an FBI sting in Minneapolis in 2018 and prosecutors have put their market value at about $3.5 million.
