Cody Wilson, 3D-printed gun activist, charged with sexual assault

Wilson had not been arrested as of Wednesday morning, according to Austin police spokeswoman Stephanie Jacksis, who declined to provide additional information. The girl said she exchanged messages with a person using the screen name “Sanjuro”, who later identified himself as Cody Wilson.

Wilson declared that that “the age of the downloadable gun formally begins”, but officials from 19 states sued, arguing that publication of weapons plans posed a danger to national security and the public.

Investigators said Wilson met the girl for sex at an Austin hotel on August 15 and paid her $500 afterward. The court filing doesn’t say how old the girl is, but Texas’ age of consent is 17.

According to police paperwork, Wilson and the victim met face to face on the night of August 15th at a coffee shop on South Congress. Surveillance video shows the two leaving together in a black SUV registered to Defense Distributed.

Police say the two met through SugarDaddyMeet.com, which boasts 1.6 million members and bills itself as matching rich and successful men such as “professionals, financiers, benefactors” with young women such as “classy college students, aspiring actresses or models”.

What is the Taiwan connection?

Commander Officer said Mr Wilson had “left the country before we could seek an interview”. It’s not clear how the friend knew Wilson.

The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) yesterday said that Wilson had entered Taiwan on September 6. He said it’s unclear why Wilson went to Taiwan, but he is known to travel extensively.

Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency said Mr Wilson had arrived on 6 September, Agence France-Presse reported, but that there had been no USA request for judicial assistance as yet.

Taiwan does not have an extradition treaty with the US.

In May 2013, the State Department’s Office of Trade Controls Compliance ordered that Wilson’s company, Defense Distributed, stop distributing any gun parts.

In the wake of Lasnik’s ruling, Wilson pledged to exploit a loophole in the preliminary injunction by mailing out the blueprints via secure USB drives rather than publishing them on the internet.

The Trump administration earlier this year reached a settlement lifting the ban for Defense Distributed.