3D Printed Gun Advocate Cody Wilson Charged With Child Sexual Assault

Sep 19, 2018 at 18:07 UTC

Cody Wilson, founder of the 3-D printed gun company Defense Distributed and cryptocurrency advocate, has been charged with sexually assaulting a minor.

According to an affidavit obtained by CoinDesk, Wilson was accused of assault against an unnamed minor he allegedly met through an online dating site. Wilson, who has butted heads with the U.S. government over his advocacy for 3-D printed firearms, was one of the main developers of the privacy-centric bitcoin wallet DarkWallet (a precursor to OpenBazaar) and is a funder of a coding academy launched by developer Amir Taaki.

Magistrate judge Tamara Needles, of the Travis County District Court, found “probable cause” for an arrest warrant to be issued, per the affidavit. The charges were first reported by news station KVUE.

The document notes that the victim, whose identity is being withheld but is described as “a juvenile female under the age of [17],” reported meeting Wilson through the website SugarDaddyMeet.com. She told authorities that he identified himself by name after texting him through the app under the screenname “Sanjuro.”

The affidavit also details video surveillance footage from the Archer Hotel, where the assault allegedly took place, as well as a local restaurant, where cameras captured the victim getting out of Wilson’s car after the reported assault.

The video evidence corroborates a statement the victim made to a counselor and law enforcement officials, the affidavit states.

Wilson did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Image Credit: 71 Republic/YouTube

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