18 months in prison
González’s lawyers presented a very different picture, that of a single mother from humble origins who started by sewing belts for friends on her sewing machine at home and grew to become a fashion icon through her creativity and perseverance. In short, a self-made entrepreneur from Latin America who left behind Western empires like Gucci and Prada.
But the judge disagreed. González, who was even compared to a drug trafficker by the public, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Her company, which employed 300 Colombian women, collapsed shortly after her arrest two years ago.