Alexander Isak Robbers Instructed to Repay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2m Thefts
Individuals of an Italian family of burglars who stole more than £1.2 million valued of items, among them from ex- NUFC striker Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 each.
Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her son Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of England to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.
The group of four were imprisoned for from a decade or less in 2025.
At a criminal assets hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to pay back £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over over a thousand pounds.
Details of the Burglaries
The court previously heard the group arrived by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out targets and execute burglaries.
On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of items such as high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were away.
The following night, the gang entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and shoes valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.
Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.
The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional touring burglars, used gloves and masks, turned their mobile devices off as they approached their targets and attached a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.
They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.
Court Proceedings and Sentencing
Valentino Nikolov had denied conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.
At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he defaulted.
The other three had no assets or property so were directed to make a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not submitted.
The judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or possessing a home", prosecutors could initiate further action to "satisfy the amount due".