Alexander Isak Robbers Instructed to Pay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Heists

Burglary suspects
Jela Jovanovic admitted participating in the crimes

Individuals of an Italian clan of burglars who stole more than £1.2m valued of goods, among them from ex- NUFC forward Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela and her son Charlie travelled to the northeastern of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

The foursome were jailed for between six and 10 years in 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Break-ins

The judge was told the group came by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while using a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they took over £1m of goods including designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

Valentino Nikolov
Valentino Nikolov was the only one of the foursome to contest burglary but was found guilty by the jury

The next evening, the crew broke into a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, jewellery and footwear valued at more than £100,000.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then struck at the home of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced touring thieves, wore gloves and face coverings, turned their mobile devices on silent as they neared their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Alexander Isak's home
Thieves stole money and jewelry worth £80,000 and an car from then-Newcastle United striker Isak's home

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.

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 affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the only one found to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or property so were directed to make a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in prison the result if the sum was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or owning a property", the prosecution could initiate further action to "recover the amount due".

Nancy Harris
Nancy Harris

A passionate craps enthusiast and strategy expert with years of experience in casino gaming and player education.