Alexander Isak Burglars Ordered to Repay Only £1 Each from £1.2 Million Thefts

Individuals of an Italian clan of burglars who took over £1.2 million valued of goods, among them from ex- NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her child Charlie travelled to the northeastern of England to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.

The foursome were jailed for from a decade or less in 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Break-ins

The court previously heard the gang arrived by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out targets and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of items such as high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the residents were away.

The next evening, the gang entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear valued at over £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's facility for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional itinerant burglars, used gloves and face coverings, turned their phones on silent as they neared their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

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 jurors, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual found to have any money that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.

The other three had no money or property so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the result if the sum was not paid.

Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the future, "such as driving around Italy in a sports car or possessing a home", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the amount outstanding".