Isak Burglars Instructed to Pay Only £1 Each from £1.2 Million Thefts
Individuals of an Italy-based clan of burglars who took over £1.2m worth of goods, among them from ex- NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 each.
Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie travelled to the northeastern of the UK to raid multiple homes in April 2024.
The group of four were jailed for from a decade or less in May 2025.
At a criminal assets hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 each while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.
Details of the Burglaries
The judge previously heard the group came by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service stations while utilizing another car to scout out targets and execute burglaries.
On March 31 they stole more than £1m of goods such as designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were away.
The next evening, the gang entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear valued at over £100,000.
After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.
The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their phones on silent as they approached their objectives and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.
Court Hearings and Sentencing
Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.
At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer the prosecution said each of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.
But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the court was informed, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.
The remaining members had no money or property so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in prison the result if the money was not paid.
The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or possessing a home", the prosecution could seek further action to "satisfy the amount due".
