LONDON — Two men were sentenced to prison Friday for their roles in the audacious 2019 theft of a fully functional 18-karat gold toilet from Britain’s Blenheim Palace—a heist that took just minutes but left behind a trail of damage and unanswered questions.
The toilet, titled “America” by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was a satirical artwork mocking wealth and excess. Worth an estimated $6.4 million, it had been installed at the historic palace—birthplace of Winston Churchill—for just two days before being ripped from its plumbing by a gang of thieves. It has never been recovered and is believed to have been dismantled and sold for scrap gold.
The Heist: A Five-Minute Operation
On September 13, 2019, five burglars smashed through the palace gates in two stolen vehicles before breaking a window and using sledgehammers to wrench the 215-pound (98 kg) golden toilet from its base. Surveillance footage captured masked men fleeing with the artwork, one carrying the toilet seat while others loaded a heavy golden object into a car.
Judge Ian Pringle described the theft as a “bold and brazen heist” that took only five and a half minutes. The break-in caused significant damage to the 18th-century UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Thieves: A Career Criminal and His Accomplice
James Sheen, 40, a roofer with a violent criminal past, pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy, and transferring criminal property. Already serving a 19-year sentence for unrelated firearms offenses, he received an additional four years.
Michael Jones, 39, a longtime thief with a rap sheet dating back to age 13, was convicted of burglary and sentenced to two years and three months.
Investigators linked Sheen to the crime through DNA on a discarded sledgehammer and gold fragments found on his clothing. A photo of £520,000 in cash—allegedly payment for part of the melted-down gold—was also discovered on his phone.
The Toilet’s Infamous History
Before its ill-fated stint at Blenheim Palace, “America” had been displayed at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, where it famously became the subject of a cheeky diplomatic snub. When then-President Donald Trump requested a Van Gogh loan in 2017, the museum instead offered him the golden toilet. The White House declined.
Jones, who scouted the palace before the theft, had even tested the toilet himself, later calling the experience “splendid” in court.
An Unlucky Friday the 13th
The heist occurred on Friday the 13th—a day often associated with bad luck. For years, it seemed the thieves had escaped justice, but Sheen and Jones were finally held accountable on another Friday the 13th, nearly five years later.
Three other suspects remain at large, and the golden toilet’s fate remains a mystery.
“America has never been seen again,” Judge Pringle remarked in court.
For now, the only trace of Cattelan’s provocative artwork may be the scattered fragments of gold—and the lingering absurdity of a multi-million-dollar toilet heist.
