The famous Colombian bag designer Nancy González was sentenced this past Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to smuggling leather goods made from the skins of exotic and endangered animals, according to documents from a federal court in Miami ( Florida, USA).
Last November, González pleaded guilty to three charges in that same court, where she was sentenced today by Judge Robert Scola.
González was well known among famous Americans, designing exclusive products for the likes of Salma Hayek, Britney Spears and Victoria Beckham, among others. Her name also appeared in films such as The Devil Wears Prada (2006).
The court has also indicated that the time served by the designer from July 7, 2022, when she was arrested in Colombia, until August 30, 2023 will be taken into account. It has also indicated that she will have supervised freedom for three years.
The judge has also allowed González to “voluntarily surrender” to the United States Bureau of Prisons on June 6, in addition to recommending a prison located within the state of Florida, near his family.
The designer has pleaded guilty to two counts of smuggling and one count of conspiracy for illegally importing designer handbags made of alligator and python skin from Colombia to the United States. Both species are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), of which both the United States and Colombia are co-signatories.
The 70-year-old designer was extradited to the United States on August 30 in an accusation that includes two other people; in addition to her company, Gzuniga Ltda.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the defendants asked friends, family and employees of González’s manufacturing company in Colombia to act as couriers and transport the designer bags on or in their luggage while traveling on passenger airlines.
Once the bags were smuggled into the United States, he adds, they were sent to González’s showroom in Manhattan, New York, “where they were displayed for high-end retailers to view and purchase for resale.” in their stores.”
The average retail price of these ‘Nancy González’ brand bags was more than 2,000 dollars (about 1,880 euros)
