Alexander Isak Robbers Instructed to Pay Just £1 Each from £1.2 Million Heists
Individuals of an Italy-based clan of thieves who stole more than £1.2m worth of items, among them from ex- NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.
Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie travelled to the north-east of England to burgle multiple homes in April 2024.
The foursome were jailed for from a decade or less in 2025.
At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 per person while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.
Details of the Burglaries
The court previously heard the gang arrived by boat in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while using a separate vehicle to scout out properties and execute thefts.
On 31 March they took over one million pounds of goods including designer clothing, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were away.
The following night, the crew entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, valuables and footwear worth over £100,000.
After scouting out Newcastle United's facility for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing £10,000 in cash, £68,000 valued of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.
The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional touring burglars, used hand coverings and face coverings, switched their phones on silent as they approached their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.
They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.
Court 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 same charge.
At the proceeds of crime session, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the burglars 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 "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by police, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he defaulted.
The remaining members had no money or assets so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not submitted.
The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "recover the amount due".