More assault charges for 3D-printed gun pioneer

3D-printed gun pioneer Cody Wilson has been formally indicted on a series of charges alleging he sexually assaulted a child.

In total he faces eight charges, all of which relate to his encounter with the minor in an Austin, Texas hotel room last year.

Mr Wilson reportedly solicited contact with the girl via a website called SugarDaddyMeet.com.

If found guilty, Mr Wilson could be jailed for up to 20 years.

The girl who has accused Mr Wilson of assault was 16 at the time of the incident. The age of consent in Texas is 17.

Reasonable belief

Information about the exact charges he faced has only now been released by police in Texas after court hearings initially scheduled for November and December were postponed.

Mr Wilson is now expected to appear in court in Texas in early February.

The charges filed against him include:

• four counts of sexual assault of a child
• two charges of indecency with a child by contact
• two charges of indecency with a child by exposure

Mr Wilson’s defence lawyer Andino Reynal told the Austin American Statesman newspaper: “Mr. Wilson at all times believed reasonably that the complaining witness was a consenting adult.”

He added: “We are confident that once all of the facts are out and we have a chance to interface with the DA’s office more directly that we’ll be able to resolve this matter.”

Reporter Nathan Matisse from tech news site Ars Technica, who has followed the case, said Texas police had sought evidence from the hotel where the incident took place, the SugarDaddyMeet.com website, Apple and a coffee shop in downtown Austin as it built its case.

A warrant for Mr Wilson’s arrest was issued on 19 September, 2018 but efforts to apprehend him failed as he reportedly left the US following a tip-off that police were pursuing him.

Soon afterwards, Mr Wilson was found in a hotel in Taipei, Taiwan, arrested and returned to the US to face charges.

Mr Wilson came to prominence in 2013 when he headed a company called Defense Distributed – a campaign group that offers blueprints for creating 3D-printed guns.

Soon after his arrest, Mr Wilson resigned from his role as leader of Defense Distributed.