Three men have been convicted for stealing and selling Maurizio Cattelan’s golden toilet from Blenheim Palace in England in 2019, according to a press release from Crown Prosecution Service today.
The working 227 pound, 18-karat gold toilet titled America (2016) was dismantled as part of a five minute raid only two days after it was publicly displayed. Ensured for approximately $6 million, the piece was featured in an exhibition of the artist’s work at the 18th-century castle and family home of Winston Churchill.
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A jury at Oxford Crown Court found Michael Jones guilty of burglary and Fred Doe guilty of conspiracy to convert or transfer criminal property. Bora Guccuk was found not guilty of conspiracy to convert or transfer criminal property. James Sheen, a builder who employed Jones, previously pleaded guilty to burglary.
Jones allegedly visited Blenheim Palace twice—once prior to the toilet being on display and again after it was installed. On the first visit, Jones took photos from inside the building of the window that the thieves used to enter the palace. On the second, the day before the raid, he took photos of the toilet, the lock on the toilet door, and additional pictures of the same window from the outside.
Around 5am on September 14, 2019, Sheen and the accomplices drove two stolen vehicles through the palace’s locked gates. As captured on CCTV, the group used sledgehammers and crowbars to break into the palace and remove the toilet. They then loaded it into the back of one of the vehicles before escaping.
In the days following the burglary, Sheen contacted Fred Doe about selling the gold using coded messages. The pair discussed a pay out of £26,500 ($34,462) per kilogram of the stolen gold. The toilet still has not been recovered.
“This was an audacious raid which had been carefully planned and executed – but those responsible were not careful enough, leaving a trail of evidence in the form of forensics, CCTV footage and phone data,” said Shan Saunders from the Crown Prosecution Service. “It has been a complex case to prosecute, involving a nationwide investigation with many lines of inquiry to identify those who were subsequently charged in relation to the theft.”
He added, “While none of the gold was ever recovered – no doubt having been broken up or melted down and sold on soon after it was stolen – we are confident this prosecution has played a part in disrupting a wider crime and money laundering network.”
The men are expected to be sentenced at a later date.