Isak Robbers Ordered to Pay Just £1 Each from £1.2 Million Thefts
Members of an Italian family of thieves who took more than £1.2m worth of goods, including from ex- NUFC striker Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 each.
Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of England to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.
The foursome were imprisoned for between a decade or less in 2025.
At a proceeds of crime hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to pay back £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over over a thousand pounds.
Particulars of the Break-ins
The judge was told the group arrived by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham service service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out properties and carry out thefts.
On March 31 they took over £1m of items including high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.
The next evening, the gang entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, jewellery and footwear valued at over £100,000.
After scouting out the football club's training ground for two days, they then acted at the residence of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.
The gang, who were described by prosecutors as professional touring burglars, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their mobile devices on silent as they neared their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.
Court Proceedings and Sentencing
Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all entered guilty pleas to the same charge.
At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the value 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 found to have any funds that could be "realised", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the judge heard, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.
The remaining members had no money or property so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the consequence if the sum was not submitted.
Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the future, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or owning a property", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "recover the sum outstanding".
