Isak Robbers Instructed to Pay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2m Heists
Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who stole over £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from former Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.
Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the north-east of England to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.
The foursome were jailed for from six and 10 years in May 2025.
At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to pay back £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must pay £1,135.
Particulars of the Burglaries
The court previously heard the group came by boat in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for properties and execute thefts.
On March 31 they stole more than £1m of goods including designer clothing, purses, jewellery and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.
The next evening, the crew entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, valuables and shoes valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.
Following surveillance of Newcastle United's facility for two days, they then struck at the home of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.
The gang, who were described by prosecutors as experienced touring burglars, used hand coverings and face coverings, switched their phones on silent as they neared their objectives and strapped a license plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.
They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all entered guilty pleas to the identical accusation.
At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.
But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the court was informed, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.
The remaining members had no money or assets so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not submitted.
The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the future, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or owning a home", prosecutors could initiate further action to "satisfy the sum due".