Two men were sentenced to two to four years in prison for their involvement in the 2019 theft of an 18-carat gold toilet from Blenheim Palace, the ancestral home of Winston Churchill.
The sentencing marks the conclusion of the case surrounding the stolen artwork, titled “America” by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, which was valued at $6 million and is believed to have been dismantled for its gold content.
James Sheen, 44, identified by prosecutors as the mastermind of the theft, pleaded guilty in April 2024 to charges of burglary, transferring criminal property, and conspiracy to transfer criminal property. He received a four-year sentence on Friday.
Michael Jones, 39, was sentenced to 27 months in prison after being found guilty of burglary following a trial in March. Prosecutors indicated that he conducted reconnaissance trips to Blenheim Palace prior to the theft.
Shan Saunders, a solicitor for the Crown Prosecution Service, commented on the unusual nature of the case, noting the high-value burglary of a stately home and the audacity of stealing an 18-carat gold toilet. He remarked on the extensive planning involved, juxtaposed with the significant evidence left behind by the offenders.
During the trial, it was revealed that the theft took place in just five minutes. At approximately 5 a.m. on September 14, 2019, the group used a vehicle to break through the palace's wooden gates and then employed sledgehammers and crowbars to gain entry.
Once inside, the men removed the toilet from its fixture, causing a minor flood in the room. Surveillance footage captured the suspects rolling the large item toward their vehicle.
Investigators discovered a substantial amount of evidence at the scene, including a sledgehammer with Sheen's DNA and gold fragments on his clothing. Evidence from Sheen's phone also implicated other individuals in the crime, with prosecutors noting the use of coded language that required detailed analysis to interpret.
Prosecutors believe the artwork, which weighed over 200 pounds, was divided into smaller portions of gold for sale.
In addition to Sheen and Jones, Fred Doe, 36, was found guilty of conspiracy to convert or transfer criminal property and was sentenced to 21 months in prison and 240 hours of community service in May. A fourth defendant, Bora Guccuk, 41, a London jeweler, was acquitted of the same conspiracy charge.
The golden toilet, which Cattelan described as a commentary on inequality, gained notoriety after its installation at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2016.
Cattelan is also known for his artwork “Comedian,” which featured a banana taped to a wall and sold for $6.2 million at auction last year.