Four men have been charged with the 2019 theft of an 18-carat gold toilet from Blenheim Palace, the estate where British leader Winston Churchill was born, CBS News reports.
On Monday, the Crown Prosecution Service announced the charges against four men, who are accused of stealing the toilet in a Sept. 2019 raid of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England.
The toilet, which has not been found, had been displayed at the Guggenheim museum in New York City as part of a 2016 exhibit by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelanhas, before being loaned to Churchill's estate. The CPS claims the 18-carat toilet has been valued at 4.8 million pounds, which is equivalent to roughly $5.93 million.
The four men facing charges are James Sheen, 39, who has been charged with one count of burglary, one count of conspiracy to transfer criminal property and one count of transferring criminal property; Michael Jones, 38, who's been charged with one count of burglary; and Fred Doe, 35, and Bora Guccuk, 39, who both face charges of one count of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
“Criminal proceedings against James Sheen, Michael Jones, Fred Doe and Bora Guccuk are now active and they each have the right to a fair trial," the CPS said in its news release. “It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
The four men are scheduled to appear in Oxford Magistrates' Court on Nov. 28.
