Alexander Isak Burglars Instructed to Repay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2m Thefts
Individuals of an Italian family of thieves who stole more than £1.2m valued of goods, among them from former Newcastle United forward Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 each.
Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of England to burgle three houses in April 2024.
The foursome were jailed for from six and 10 years in May 2025.
At a proceeds of crime hearing at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.
Details of the Break-ins
The court previously heard the gang came by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while using a separate vehicle to scout out targets and carry out burglaries.
On March 31 they took more than one million pounds of goods such as high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were away.
The next evening, the gang entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, jewellery and shoes worth over £100,000.
After scouting out the football club's facility for two days, they then struck at the home of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.
The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced touring thieves, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their phones off as they neared their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.
Court Hearings and Sentencing
Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.
At the criminal gains session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "realised", namely 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 other three had no assets or property so were directed to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in prison the result if the sum was not submitted.
Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "such as operating Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "recover the sum outstanding".