Alexander Isak Burglars Instructed to Pay Only £1 Each from £1.2 Million Heists
Individuals of an Italy-based family of thieves who took more than £1.2m valued of goods, including from ex- Newcastle United forward Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 each.
Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of England to burgle three houses in spring 2024.
The group of four were imprisoned for between a decade or less in 2025.
At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must pay £1,135.
Particulars of the Burglaries
The judge previously heard the gang arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while using another car to search for targets and carry out thefts.
On 31 March they took over £1m of items such as designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, while the residents were away.
The following night, the gang entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, jewellery and footwear worth over £100,000.
Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.
The group, who were described by the prosecution as experienced itinerant thieves, wore gloves and face coverings, turned their phones on silent as they approached their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.
They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.
Legal Proceedings and Rulings
Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.
At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer the prosecution said each of the defendants had profited from their crimes to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.
But Charlie was the only one found to have any funds that could be "realised", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge heard, with 14 days to be served in prison if he failed to pay.
The other three had no money or assets so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 each, with one week in prison the consequence if the money was not paid.
The judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or possessing a home", prosecutors could initiate further action to "satisfy the amount outstanding".