Nancy Gonzalez, renowned fashion designer, arrested for smuggling crocodile handbags into US for New York Fashion Week | World News
A designer of celebrity handbags, whose creations have been seen on Britney Spears and in Sex And The City, has been sentenced to jail for smuggling crocodile handbags into the US for fashion events.
Nancy Gonzalez, aged 71, confessed to enlisting couriers to transport up to four products each on commercial flights from her home country of Colombia to the US for events like New York Fashion Week.
Gonzalez, who was arrested in Cali in 2022 and later extradited to the US, was given an 18-month sentence in a federal court in Miami for violating US wildlife laws.
The handbags, crafted from the skins of caiman and pythons bred in captivity, were valued at up to $2m (£1.6m), according to prosecutors, although the designer’s attorneys argued that each skin cost around $140 (£113).
At times, Gonzalez failed to acquire the necessary import permits from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which is supported by an internationally ratified treaty governing the trade of endangered species, the court was informed.
Gonzalez, holding back tears, expressed regret in court before her sentencing for not fully complying with US laws.
She stated: “From the bottom of my heart, I apologize to the United States of America. I never intended to offend a country to which I owe immense gratitude. Under pressure, I made poor decisions.”
Celebrities like Salma Hayek, Britney Spears, and Victoria Beckham were among those who purchased Gonzalez’s meticulously crafted handbags.
Her work was even showcased in a 2008 exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
In court, her lawyers presented a video from 2019 featuring top buyers from Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, and others praising the designer for her creativity, productivity, and humanity.
However, prosecutor Thomas Watts-Fitzgerald likened Gonzalez’s actions to those of drug traffickers, stating that her motive was solely driven by money.
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Her attorneys pleaded for leniency for Gonzalez, highlighting that she established “the very first luxury, high-end fashion company from a third world country,” which later competed with major industry players like Dior, Prada, and Gucci.
They also argued that only 1% of the imported merchandise lacked proper documentation and were samples for events like New York Fashion Week.
Prosecutors sought a harsher sentence of 30 to 37 months, but the judge considered the nearly 14 months Gonzalez spent in a Colombian prison awaiting extradition.
She was instructed to commence her sentence on 6 June.
