Isak Burglars Ordered to Repay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2m Heists
Individuals of an Italian clan of burglars who took over £1.2 million valued of goods, among them from ex- Newcastle United forward Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.
Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of England to raid multiple homes in April 2024.
The foursome were imprisoned for from six and 10 years in 2025.
At a proceeds of crime proceeding 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 Burglaries
The court previously heard the gang arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham rest stops while utilizing another car to search for targets and carry out thefts.
On 31 March they stole more than £1m of items including high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.
The next evening, the crew entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, valuables and footwear worth over £100,000.
Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall 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 portrayed by prosecutors as professional itinerant burglars, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their mobile devices on silent as they neared their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been stolen from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.
Court Hearings and Sentencing
Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the identical accusation.
At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the victims said they had lost.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he failed to pay.
The other three had no assets or assets so were ordered to pay a token amount of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the money was not submitted.
The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "such as driving around Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "recover the sum due".