Isak Burglars Instructed to Repay Only £1 Each from £1.2 Million Thefts
Members of an Italy-based clan of thieves who took over £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from former Newcastle United forward Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 per person.
Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.
The foursome were imprisoned for from six and 10 years in 2025.
At a proceeds of crime proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.
Details of the Burglaries
The court previously heard the group came by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out targets and carry out thefts.
On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of goods such as designer clothing, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.
The following night, the crew entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, jewellery and shoes valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.
After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in cash, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.
The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional itinerant burglars, used hand coverings and masks, switched their mobile devices off as they approached their objectives and strapped a license plate, which had been stolen from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.
Legal Hearings and Sentencing
Valentino had denied conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by the court, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.
At the criminal gains session, lawyer the prosecution said each of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the victims said they had lost.
But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the court was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he defaulted.
The other three had no assets or property so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, with one week in prison the consequence if the money was not submitted.
Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "satisfy the amount due".