Designer loved by Britney and Victoria Beckham jailed for 18 months for smuggling crocodile handbags
A luxury fashion designer has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after admitting to smuggling crocodile handbags.
Nancy Gonzalez, whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the “Sex and the City” TV series, appeared in Miami federal court on Monday.
The court heard how Gonzalez, described as a micro-manager, would recruit up to 40 passengers to carry four designer bags each on commercial flights to high-end showrooms and New York fashion events - all in violation of US wildlife laws.
Prosecutors estimated she smuggled goods worth as much as $2 million (£1.62 million) in the US, while Gonzalez's attorneys disputed this, saying each skin cost only around $140 (£113).
All of the hides were from caiman and pythons bred in captivity.
On some occasions she did not obtain import authorisations from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which is required under a widely accepted international treaty that governs the trade of endangered and threatened wildlife species.
Although trade in the skins used by Gonzalez is not prohibited, they came from protected wildlife that requires close monitoring under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known by its initials as CITES.
She was arrested in 2022 in Cali, Colombia, and later extradited to the US for running the conspiracy.
“It’s all driven by the money,” said Assistant US Attorney Thomas Watts-Fitzgerald, who compared Gonzalez’s behavior to that of drug traffickers.
He said: “If you want to deter the conduct, you want the cocaine kingpin, not the person in the field.”
The court heard Gonzalez's journey from a divorced single mother of two who designed belts on a home sewing machine for friends, into a fashion icon who outcompeted the likes of Dior, Prada and Gucci.
Victoria Beckham and Salma Hayek are among celebrities who bought Gonzalez's handbags.
Her work was also included in a 2008 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
In 2016 and 2017, she was warned by US officials against sidestepping CITES rules, making her conduct particularly “egregious,” Judge Robert Scola said when giving her sentence.
The judge said he was taking into account the nearly 14 months she spent in harsher conditions in a Colombian prison awaiting extradition, when sentencing her to 18 months in jail.
Gonzalez, who has been free on a bond under confinement at her daughter's home in Miami, must surrender on June 6 to begin her time in prison.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…