Gonzalez, whose creations have been flaunted by the likes of Salma Hayek, Britney Spears, and Victoria Beckham, and appeared in movies such as "Sex and the City 2" and on Anne Hathaway's arm in "The Devil Wears Prada", was found guilty of using a network of acquaintances to traffic her products. Despite the glamor, Gonzalez admitted to making some "wrong decisions" along her path to success.

From a challenging childhood in Colombia to the pinnacle of the fashion industry, Nancy Tereza Gonzalez de Barber's journey has ended with a significant legal setback. Convicted for smuggling handbags made of exotic animal skins, Gonzalez failed to secure the proper permits, which would have circumvented legal troubles following warnings from U.S. authorities in 2016 and 2017. Arrested in Colombia in July 2022 and extradited to the U.S. after spending over a year in jail, she pleaded guilty in November 2023. Although prosecutors sought a 30-37 month sentence, the judge accounted for the 14 months served in Colombia; Gonzalez is expected to begin her sentence in early June, remaining under house arrest at her daughter’s home until then.

Gonzalez’s lawyer, Sam Rabin, criticized the verdict, arguing it has destroyed a businesswoman who supported 400 families in a third-world country. Starting from making belts at home, Gonzalez opened her own store in Cali, Colombia, and in 1998, saw her eight-piece handbag collection picked up by the luxury store Bergdorf Goodman.

Her company, Gzuniga Limited, achieved significant success pre-pandemic, employing hundreds in Colombia, notably empowering local women. Gonzalez's attorneys emphasized her determination to demonstrate that minority women can achieve their dreams and financial independence despite numerous obstacles. They also highlighted her respectability, suggesting that the grief over her son's death in 2017 might have impacted her judgment. Santiago Barberi Gonzalez, not only a co-founder but also the President and CEO of the company, played a crucial role in its operations.

Regarding the legal specifics of her case, Gonzalez violated the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) by failing to obtain necessary permits for the trade of her products made from crocodile and snake skins between February 2016 and April 2019. Prosecutors estimated the value of the smuggled goods to be around $2 million, while Gonzalez's defense argued she mostly complied with regulations, importing less than 1% of her products without the proper documentation. They also stated the company had collapsed, leaving many unemployed.

Despite claims of necessity due to tight deadlines, the defense insisted that commercial products complied with all necessary documentation, emphasizing that the utilized skins came from farmed, not wild reptiles.

The broader context includes a luxury accessory market potentially worth €1.5 billion by 2023, according to Bain & Company. As some brands move away from using exotic skins, debates continue over the ethics and sustainability of this trade. Advocates for regulated commerce argue it can support conservation and local communities. The CITES 2022 conference highlighted success stories like crocodile farms in Zimbabwe and Kenya and python breeding in Vietnam as examples of how regulated trade can stabilize and even increase populations of certain species.

While Gonzalez faces her sentence, the fate of her company and the industry's ethical considerations remain in flux, illustrating the complex interplay between luxury fashion, wildlife conservation, and legal boundaries.