Jerry Hal Saliterman, 77, of Crystal, Minn., was set to plead guilty in January to theft of a major artwork and witness tampering, but he’d been unable to appear in court due to ongoing health problems, including Parkinson’s disease, sepsis and lung damage.

Federal charges against a Minnesota man, accused of hiding a stolen pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, were dropped Monday after the man died.