Two men found guilty in $6M golden toilet heist at English palace where Winston Churchill was born

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A British bandit and his accomplice were convicted Tuesday of snatching a $6.2 million golden toilet from the English country mansion where Winston Churchill was born then reselling parts of the precious potty.

Michael Jones, 39, swiped the gleaming 18-karat-gold loo in under five minutes during a wild heist at Blenheim Palace in 2019 — then teamed up with Frederick Doe, 38, to resell parts of the artwork, the Oxford Crown Court found.

Michael Jones in a blue coat leaving Oxford Magistrates' Court, following charges over the theft of a gold toilet from Blenheim Palace
Michael Jones (pictured) was convicted Tuesday along with an accomplice who helped cash in on the spoils of the 18-carat work of art insured for nearly 5 million pounds.PA Images via Getty Images
America", a solid gold, fully functioning toilet created by artist Maurizio Cattelan, displayed at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, England on September 12, 2019.
The purloined potty has never been recovered but is believed to have been cut up and sold.Getty Images

Jones, of Oxford, made off with the fully functional 215-pound john on Sept. 14, 2019 — just a day after Jones used it while doing “reconnaissance” work at the palace.

During the loo-dicrous pre-dawn heist, Jones and James Sheen, 40, smashed a window and yanked the golden throne from its plumbing — leaving behind flood damage as they zoomed away in stolen vehicles.

“This was an audacious raid which had been carefully planned and executed,” prosecutor Shan Saunders said during the trial. “But those responsible were not careful enough.”

Their scheme went down the drain when investigators found “a trail of evidence in the form of forensics, CCTV footage and phone data,” Saunders said.

Jones was found guilty Tuesday of burglary, and Doe was convicted of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.

Crime scene at Blenheim Palace showing a broken door and floor after the theft of Maurizio Cattelan's 18 carat golden toilet art exhibition.
The thieves smashed a window and pried the toilet from its plumbing within five minutes, leaving a damaging flood in their wake as they escaped in stolen vehicles.Alamy Stock Photo

Sheen, 40, previously pleaded guilty to burglary in connection with the crime. A fourth suspect, Bora Guccuk, was found not guilty for selling the gold.

The pilfered pot was on display at the mansion as a piece of art dubbed “America,” which was created by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan.The was a satirical art poked fun at the US for its excessive wealth and was insured at the time for $6 million.

The toilet — which was once on display at New York City’s Guggenheim Museum, where a Post reporter gave it a whirl — was never recovered and is believed to have been dismantled and sold after the raid.

During the trial, Jones previously told jurors he “took advantage of” the loo’s “facilities” and found the experience “splendid.”

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