Company founder pleads guilty in child sex case
AUSTIN — The founder of a Texas company that sells plans for making untraceable 3D printed guns pleaded guilty Friday to having sex with an underage girl.
Travis County Assistant District Attorney Joe Frederick said Cody Wilson pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of injury to a child under a plea deal with prosecutors. Wilson initially faced sexual assault charges.
Frederick said prosecutors met extensively with the victim and her parents before reaching the agreement.
“And after several months of going through the case and talking with them about what they desired and what they wished, we felt that this was a satisfactory conclusion to the case,” Frederick said.
Wilson’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The recommended sentence would keep Wilson out of prison while requiring him to register as a sex offender for seven years and serve deferred adjudication probation.
Wilson would also have to pay a $1,200 fine, perform community service and possibly attend treatment counseling. He would not be able to own a firearm while on probation.
Wilson was arrested in Taiwan last year, where, police say, he flew after learning that he was being investigated over the allegations.
Authorities said Wilson met the girl through dating website SugarDaddyMeet.com. According to an affidavit, the girl said they met in the parking lot of an Austin coffee shop in August and then drove to a hotel. The girl told investigators that Wilson paid her $500 after they had sex and then dropped her off at a Whataburger restaurant.
Wilson, a self-described “crypto-anarchist,” has said “governments should live in fear of their citizenry.”
Wilson founded Austinbased Defense Distributed, which sells designs to make 3D printable guns. He stepped down as the company’s director after his arrest last year.