Colombian luxury designer Nancy Gonzalez, known for selling high-end handbags to A-list celebrities including Britney Spears and Victoria Beckham, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of smuggling protected python and caiman skins into the United States. The designer, in her 70s, was extradited from Colombia earlier this year and indicted on charges of illegally importing animal skins and conspiracy.

Gonzalez was seen grinning as she was escorted by Interpol officers from Bogota, Colombia, to Florida on a private jet. Her attorney, Sam Rabin of Rabin & Lopez, revealed that Gonzalez chose to plead guilty directly to the judge instead of negotiating with prosecutors, as she claimed to have doubts about the fairness of the Department of Justice's approach.

Gonzalez's luxury handbags, featured in popular TV show Sex and the City, gained popularity among the Hollywood elite, with celebrities like Kris Jenner, Salma Hayek, and of course, Victoria Beckham and Britney Spears, seen carrying her expensive creations.

According to the indictment, Gonzalez and her company conspired to secretly import protected wildlife products from Colombia into the US between 2016 and 2019. The Department of Justice alleged that they enriched themselves by selling these contraband products, which violated federal laws. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) lists both python and caiman as protected species.

Gonzalez's designer handbags, fetching prices of up to $10,000 each, were sold in renowned luxury retailers worldwide, including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Harrods. The indictment stated that Gonzalez's company organized over 24 trips with individuals acting as mules to smuggle more than 200 handbags made of python and caiman skins into the US without proper permits.

Colombian and European authorities discovered that Gonzalez had acquired the skins of endangered animals, such as snakes and deer, with the aim of using them to create high-end fashion items. Surprisingly, at the time of her arrest in July 2022, Gonzalez was found in possession of python-skin handbags and even a caiman-skin football.

Gonzalez now faces up to five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and up to 20 years for each smuggling charge, with the possibility of supervised release afterwards. In addition, she could be fined up to $250,000 for each count, or twice the intended gain from the illegal activities, whichever is greater. Her company, Gzuniga Ltd., may face fines of up to half a million dollars for each count, or twice the intended profit from the illegal conduct.

Gonzalez, along with the other defendants, pleaded guilty on Friday in the Southern District of Florida. They are set to appear in court for sentencing in February. Another defendant, extradited from Colombia, awaits trial, while a fourth defendant remains at large.