Colombian designer to the stars Nancy Gonzalez who sold luxury bags worth $2,000 to Britney Spears and Victoria Beckham pleads guilty to smuggling handbags made from python and caiman skins into the US from South America

Luxury designer Nancy Gonzalez, who sold thousands of dollars worth of handbags to celebrities including Britney Spears, Kris Jenner and Victoria Beckham, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of illegally importing python and caiman skins into the US.

Gonzalez, a Colombian citizen in her 70s, was extradited from Colombia to the US earlier this year after being indicted by US officials on charges of smuggling the skins of protected animals, as well as conspiracy.

She was seen grinning at photographers as she was escorted by Interpol officers on a private jet from Bogota, Colombia, to Florida.

Her attorney, Sam Rabin of Rabin & Lopez, said Monday that she “pleaded guilty directly in court rather than negotiating with prosecutors” because she did not feel she had been treated fairly by the Justice Department, which filed the complaint. .

“She has confidence in our courts, but not in the Justice Department and the prosecutors who have treated her very unfairly.

“They took the equivalent of an elephant gun to a mosquito, when a fly swatter would have sufficed.”

Gonzalez’s bags were often featured on the popular TV show Sex and the City

Britney Spears (photo, right) was also a fan of Nancy Gonzalez’s bags

Victoria Beckham (pictured) was seen carrying one of Gonzalez’s bags

Gonzalez sold her wares to the upper echelons of Hollywood society, with big names like Victoria Beckham, Britney Spears, Selma Hayek and Kris Jenner all seen sporting her expensive bags.

Her bags were also featured several times in Sex and the City and were also part of an exhibition at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2008.

She began selling her luxury products “at more than 300 luxury retailers worldwide, including Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Harrod’s, Tsum, Lane Crawford, Net-a-Porter, to name a few.” , her website previously said. .

Her website now links to a Thai sports betting site.

An indictment against her, her company and two other individuals filed by DoJ officials alleged that between 2016 and 2019, she conspired to “clandestinely import products from Colombia in violation of federal law.” to enrich themselves by selling contraband in the United States.”

Nancy Gonzalez here in handcuffs in July 2022 after being arrested by authorities in Cali, Colombia for smuggling endangered crocodile and snakeskin bags into the US

Gonzalez’s satchels are said to retail for up to $10,000 each and have been sold at high-end department stores including Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman

Gonzalez was extradited to the US on charges of violating an international agreement on the import of endangered animal products

Gonzalez’s satchels are said to retail for up to $10,000 each and have been sold at high-end department stores including Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman

Gonzalez started making belts and switched to handbags in the late 1990s after a trip to New York, when she was encouraged by a designer store director to build a collection.

The indictment listed 24 separate trips made by mules and paid for by her company, which were used to smuggle more than 200 wallets and handbags made with python and caiman without a permit.

This was in violation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which lists both python and caiman as protected species.

The indictment said the mules were instructed to tell border guards that the bags were gifts for family members if questioned.

But the bags were instead displayed in a glitzy showroom in New York City, where they were sold to department stores and private customers for a minimum of $2,000 and a maximum of $10,000 each.

Gonzalez was reportedly in possession of several python skin handbags and even a football made of caiman skin when she was arrested at her home in Colombia in July 2022.

An investigation by Colombian and European authorities found that she had illegally acquired the skins of endangered animals, including snakes and deer, with the intention of turning them into luxury fashion items.

Colombian fashion designer Nancy Gonzalez, 78, is seen grinning at the camera as she is extradited at Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport back to the United States

Gonzalez now faces up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge, while she could face a prison sentence of up to 20 years on each of the trafficking charges, which could then be followed by a period of supervised release.

She also faces fines of up to $250,000 for each count, or twice the intended gain for the illegal conduct, whichever is greater.

In addition, the company she headed, Gzuniga Ltd., could be fined up to half a million dollars for each of the three charges, or twice the intended profits from the illegal activity.

Gonzalez, along with the other defendants, entered their guilty pleas in the Southern District of Florida on Friday and are due back in court for sentencing in February.

An additional suspect in the case was also extradited from Colombia and is awaiting trial. A fourth suspect is currently not in custody.