Isak Burglars Ordered to Repay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2m Heists

Burglary suspects
Giacomo Nikolov confessed to their involvement in the burglaries

Members of an Italy-based family of thieves who took over £1.2 million worth of goods, including from ex- NUFC striker Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 each.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie travelled to the northeastern of England to burgle three houses in April 2024.

The group of four were jailed for from six and 10 years in 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to pay back £1 each while Charlie must pay £1,135.

Details of the Burglaries

The judge was told the gang arrived by boat in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service stations while using another car to search for targets and execute burglaries.

On March 31 they took over one million pounds of goods including high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

Valentino Nikolov
Valentino was the sole member of the group to deny burglary but was found guilty by jurors

The next evening, the gang broke into a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, jewellery and shoes valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for two days, they then acted at the home of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in cash, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were described by the prosecution as experienced touring thieves, wore gloves and masks, turned their phones on silent as they approached their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Alexander Isak's home
Thieves took money and jewellery worth eighty thousand pounds and an car from footballer Alexander Isak's property

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the same charge.

At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds 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 assets or assets so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the result if the money was not submitted.

The judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "such as driving around in Italy in a sports car or owning a home", the prosecution could seek further action to "recover the amount outstanding".

Charles Allen
Charles Allen

A tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and their impact on business.