Nancy Gonzalez was arrested in Colombia in 2022, then extradited to the US to stand trial for perpetuating a long-running crime that involved hiring couriers to transport her bags on commercial flights to luxury showrooms and New York fashion events. His crimes were said to violate US wildlife laws.
Gonzalez's lawyers asked for leniency during the hearing, describing her journey as "the transformation of a career that began on an old sewing machine in her third-world home, from the days of designing belts for friends to a divorced single mother of two who went on to become a fashion icon who outsold brands like Dior, Prada and Gucci."
Speaking in court, Gonzalez, 71, said she deeply regretted her failure to scrupulously follow US law and that her only desire was to hug her 103-year-old mother one more time.
"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 a great debt of gratitude. I made bad decisions under pressure."
Gonzalez reportedly instructed the couriers he hired to smuggle his goods into the United States to tell customs officials that the items were gifts to relatives if they asked questions.
It was revealed that all of the skins were obtained from caimans and pythons raised in captivity.
Although the trade in the skins Gonzalez used is not prohibited, they come from protected wild animals that require serious permits and close monitoring under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Celebrities who have purchased Gonzalez's bags include Salma Hayek, Britney Spears and Victoria Beckham. His work was also featured in an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2008.
