Jerry Hal Saliterman, 76, of Crystal, Minnesota, was charged with theft of a major artwork and witness tampering. He did not enter a plea when he made his first appearance Friday in US District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The slippers, adorned with sequins and glass beads, were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in the late star's hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, nearly 20 years ago and their whereabouts remained a mystery until the FBI recovered them in 2018.

The indictment says that from August 2005 to July 2018 Saliterman "received, concealed, and disposed of an object of cultural heritage" - specifically, "an authentic pair of 'ruby slippers' worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 movie 'The Wizard of Oz'".

The indictment says Saliterman knew they were stolen, and that he threatened to release a sex tape of a woman and "take her down with him" if she didn't keep her mouth shut about the slippers.

Saliterman was in a wheelchair and on supplemental oxygen during his Friday court appearance. His oxygen machine hummed throughout the hearing and he bounced his knee nervously during breaks in the proceedings. He responded with "yes," when US Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright asked whether he understood the charges against him, but he said nothing about the allegations.

Saliterman's lawyer, John Brink, said after Friday's hearing that he couldn't say much about the case, but: "He's not guilty. He hasn't done anything wrong." Saliterman, who was released on his own recognisance, declined to comment to The Associated Press outside the courthouse.

The man who stole the slippers, Terry Jon Martin, 76, pleaded guilty in October to theft of a major artwork, admitting to using a hammer to smash the glass of the museum's door and display case in what his lawyer said was an attempt to pull off "one last score" after turning away from a life of crime. He was sentenced in January to time served because of his poor health.

Australian Associated Press