$6 Million Gold Toilet Stolen from Blenheim Palace—Thieves Convicted, But Where Is It?
After a five-year investigation, two men have been found guilty of stealing Maurizio Cattelan’s solid gold toilet, "America." But the infamous artwork is still missing—likely melted down and lost forever.
A five-minute heist. A palace break-in. A $6 million golden toilet—vanished. After five years of mystery, arrests, and speculation, two men have finally been found guilty of stealing Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous 18-karat gold toilet, "America."
But the toilet? Still missing.
This week, an Oxford Crown Court jury convicted Michael Jones, 39, and Fred Doe, 36, for their roles in the audacious 2019 burglary at Blenheim Palace, Winston Churchill’s birthplace. A third man, James Sheen, 40, had already pleaded guilty, his DNA found on a sledgehammer left at the scene. Investigators discovered gold fragments on his sweatpants—evidence that the golden toilet was likely melted down and sold off in pieces.
The crime was fast, reckless, and brutal. At 5 a.m., the thieves smashed through wooden gates, broke into the palace, and ripped the fully functional golden toilet from the plumbing, flooding the room in the process. Security cameras captured a large object being rolled out, a toilet seat carried separately, and then—the gang disappeared into the night.
Now, years later, the mastermind is in handcuffs—but the crime’s final chapter remains unwritten. "America" is gone. Not sold on the black market, not hidden in a collector’s vault—just gone.
Cattelan, known for his playful but cutting social commentary, once called the golden toilet a gift to the public, a critique of wealth, power, and privilege. Now, its destruction has turned that satire into something darker—a blunt reality check on the fragility of art itself.
The thieves have been caught. But the masterpiece? Erased, melted, lost forever. Was it worth it?
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