Isak Robbers Ordered to Repay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2m Thefts

Burglary suspects
Charlie Jovanovic confessed to participating in the crimes

Individuals of an Italian family of thieves who took over £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from former NUFC striker Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her son Charlie journeyed to the north-east of England to raid multiple homes in April 2024.

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

At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must pay £1,135.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court previously heard the group came by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service stations while utilizing another car to scout out properties and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of items including designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

Valentino Nikolov
Valentino Nikolov was the sole member of the group to contest the charge but was found guilty by jurors

The next evening, the crew broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, valuables and footwear valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional touring burglars, used hand coverings and masks, turned their phones off as they approached their objectives and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Alexander Isak's home
Thieves took money and jewelry valued at eighty thousand pounds and an car from then-Newcastle United striker Isak's property

Court Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino had denied conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer Daniel Cordey 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 Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed 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 jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or property so were ordered to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in prison the result if the sum was not submitted.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "such as operating in Italy in a sports car or owning a home", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum due".

Vincent Mendez
Vincent Mendez

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casino strategy and game development.