The thieves who stole a valuable pair of replica Wizard of Oz ruby slippers from the Hilton Garden Inn in Staten Island have been arrested and charged, cops said.
Julie Walker-Merkle, 38, Joseph Cipoletti, 59, and Ronald Geraghty, 57, slipped into the hotel on South Avenue near Glen Street in Bloomfield just after 2 a.m. on March 1, and discovered the sparkly shoes worth $2,500 behind a display case in the lobby, sources said.
Cipoletti opened the case and Walker-Merkle reached her hands inside and pulled the pumps out, all while Geraghty kept a lookout, according to the criminal court complaint.
“They thought it would be very funny if they took the slippers,” said defense attorney Mario Gallucci, who represents Walker-Merkle and Cipoletti.
“They thought it would be fun to dance in the ruby slippers.”
The thieves tried to take the elevator to the Above rooftop bar but were denied access without a room key. They got off on the sixth floor where Walker-Merkle was seen on camera stepping out of the elevator wearing the ruby reds, said hotel owner Richard Nicotra.
Police released surveillance video on March 13 of the mysterious blond, who turned out to be Walker-Merkle–a lobbyist for the American Public Power Association–walking barefoot down the Hilton hallway.
The next day a package for Nicotra containing the slippers miraculously was dropped off at the hotel.
“Last night, an unidentified man dropped off a bag at the front desk of the Hilton Garden Inn Staten Island, instructing the front desk agent to, “give this to Richard Nicotra”. Later that night, we opened the bag and found the replica ruby red slippers wrapped in white tissue paper. The slippers are a bit worn, but otherwise perfect,” said a statement issued by the hotel on March 15.
Nicotra found that the bow of one of the slippers was broken off, the criminal complaint states. It has since been glued back on.
The Hilton is installing a high-tech security system for the slippers, which will go back on display Thursday. Nicotra, who bought the replicas in Paris while on vacation, is putting in a second camera and is wiring the shoes with an alarm. The cost of the new security system surpasses the value of the beloved shoes, he said.
“It’s not the value, it’s the symbol of the shoes,” Nicotra said.
“People really have an attachment to what they stand for.”
Cipoletti and Walker-Merkle are charged with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and criminal mischief. Geraghty is charged with grand larceny.