Alexander Isak Robbers Ordered to Repay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Heists
Individuals of an Italy-based clan of thieves who took more than £1.2m valued of items, among them from former Newcastle United striker Isak, have been mandated to return just £1 per person.
Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to raid three houses in April 2024.
The foursome were jailed for from six and 10 years in 2025.
At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 per person while Charlie must pay £1,135.
Details of the Burglaries
The court previously heard the group arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while utilizing another car to scout out targets and execute thefts.
On March 31 they stole over one million pounds of goods including high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.
The following night, the gang broke into a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, valuables and footwear worth more than £100,000.
Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.
The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant thieves, wore gloves and masks, switched their phones off as they approached their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.
They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.
Court Proceedings and Sentencing
Valentino Nikolov 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 criminal gains session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.
But Charlie was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he defaulted.
The other three had no assets or property so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the result if the money was not submitted.
The judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "recover the sum due".