Isak Burglars Instructed to Repay Just £1 Each from £1.2 Million Heists
Members of an Italian clan of thieves who took more than £1.2m valued of items, including from former NUFC striker Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.
Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela and her son Charlie travelled to the north-east of England to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.
The foursome were imprisoned for from a decade or less in May 2025.
At a proceeds of crime hearing at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to repay £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.
Details of the Break-ins
The judge was told the gang arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out properties and execute burglaries.
On 31 March they stole over £1m of goods including designer clothing, purses, jewellery and a honor from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.
The next evening, the gang entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, valuables and shoes valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.
After scouting out the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.
The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional itinerant burglars, wore gloves and face coverings, switched their mobile devices off as they neared their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.
They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.
Court Hearings and Sentencing
Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all entered admissions to the same charge.
At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the defendants had profited from their crimes 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 deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the court was informed, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he defaulted.
The remaining members had no assets or property so were ordered to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the consequence if the sum was not submitted.
Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the amount due".