Leading fashion designer Nancy Gonzalez, known for her accessories used by celebrities like Britney Spears and the cast of ‘Sex and the City,’ was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Monday. Gonzalez, arrested in 2022 and extradited from Colombia, pleaded guilty to charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native country in violation of U.S. wildlife laws.
Gonzalez’s sprawling multiyear conspiracy involved recruiting couriers to transport her handbags on commercial flights to high-end showrooms in New York for fashion events. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-Fitzgerald likened her behavior to that of drug traffickers, emphasizing that the smuggled goods lacked proper authorization from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Gonzalez’s attorneys sought leniency, describing her journey from a divorced single mother designing belts at home to a successful fashion icon who competed with luxury brands like Dior, Prada, and Gucci. They highlighted her impact on female empowerment and financial independence.
However, prosecutors argued that Gonzalez had amassed great wealth and an opulent lifestyle, contrasting it with the couriers she employed. Couriers were instructed to claim the items as gifts for relatives when questioned by customs agents.
Gonzalez, addressing the court before sentencing, expressed regret and apologized for not meticulously complying with U.S. laws. She stated that her only wish was to hug her 103-year-old mother once more.
Despite arguments from her attorneys that the smuggled items were samples for New York Fashion Week and other events, prosecutors estimated that Gonzalez’s goods fetched around $2 million in the U.S. Judge Robert Scola acknowledged that she had already spent nearly 14 months in a Colombian prison awaiting extradition, which was taken into account in her sentencing.
Although the trade in the skins used by Gonzalez was not prohibited, they came from protected wildlife that requires close monitoring under CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Gonzalez’s sentencing highlights the importance of complying with wildlife trade regulations and the consequences of smuggling endangered species into the U.S.
