Alexander Isak Burglars Ordered to Pay Only £1 Each from £1.2 Million Thefts
Individuals of an Italy-based clan of thieves who took more than £1.2 million worth of items, among them from former Newcastle United striker Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 each.
Brothers Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of England to raid multiple homes in April 2024.
The group of four were imprisoned for between six and 10 years in 2025.
At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie must hand over £1,135.
Particulars of the Burglaries
The court was told the gang came by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service service stations while using another car to search for targets and execute thefts.
On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of goods including designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were away.
The next evening, the gang broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and footwear worth more than £100,000.
Following surveillance of the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.
The group, who were described by prosecutors as professional itinerant burglars, wore hand coverings and face coverings, switched their mobile devices on silent as they approached their targets and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.
Court Proceedings and Rulings
Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.
At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had had stolen.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge heard, with two weeks to be served in jail if he defaulted.
The other three had no money or assets so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the result if the money was not submitted.
The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "such as operating in Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "recover the amount due".