A burglar who stole a gold toilet from an English mansion was convicted on Tuesday, along with an accomplice who helped cash in on the 18-carat piece of art, which was insured for more than $6 million.
Michael Jones used the fully functional one-of-a-kind lavatory while doing surveillance at Blenheim Palace, the rural house where British wartime hero Winston Churchill was born, the day before the heist, authorities claimed. He regarded his encounter as “splendid.”
He returned before dawn on Sept. 14, 2019, with at least two other guys using sledgehammers and crowbars, breaking a window and ripping the toilet off its mount. The toilet was fully working and linked to Blenheim Palace’s plumbing system when it was removed, causing “significant damage and flooding in the building,” according to authorities at the time. The guys fled in stolen automobiles.
“This was an audacious raid that had been meticulously planned and executed,” prosecutor Shan Saunders said. “But those responsible were not careful enough, leaving a trail of evidence in the form of forensics, CCTV footage and phone data.”
The stolen toilet was taken mere days after it was installed. It has never been found, although it is thought to have been chopped up and sold.
The golden toilet was a satirical sculpture called “America” by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan that mocked excessive luxury. It weighed a little over 215 pounds. The gold’s worth at the time was $3.6 million.
According to Blenheim Palace, Cattelan expressed optimism after the crime that the burglary was “a kind of Robin Hood-inspired action.”
The work had previously been on exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. During his first time in office, President Trump requested to borrow a Van Gogh painting, and the museum gave him the picture.
Jones, 39, was convicted of burglary at Oxford Crown Court.
James Sheen, 40, plotted the crime and had previously pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy, and transferring illicit goods.
According to authorities, Sheen then attempted to negotiate a deal with Fred Doe in order to profit from the haul. In a series of text exchanges, Sheen referred to the prize as a “car,” although he was really referring to the money.
“I’ll link up with ya, I got something right up your path,” Sheen promised Doe in one chat.
“I can sell that car for you in two seconds… so come and see me tomorrow,” Doe said.
Doe, 36, also known as Frederick Sines, was found guilty of conspiracy to transfer illegal property.
Jurors acquitted Bora Guccuk, 41, the fourth guy indicted in the plot.