Austin 3D Gun Maker Gets Probation In Sex Case Involving Minor

TRAVIS COUNTY, TX — A Travis County man was sentenced to probation and an order to register as a sex offender after having met his victim through a site seeking so-called sugar daddies.

The county district attorney's office said Cody Wilson was formally sentenced Thursday in the 450th District Court to 7 years of deferred adjudication probation, and will be required to register as a sex offender. Wilson pleaded guilty on Aug. 9 to a charge of Injury to a Child, a third-degree felony. The state entered the plea negotiation after much consultation with the victim and the victim’s family, DA Margaret Moore said in a press advisory.

Wilson previously made headlines after taking on his personal cause of publishing blueprints on how to make plastic guns with 3-D printers despite pleas from law enforcement to desist. He was defiant in the face of mounting opposition — including a lawsuit filed by 19 U.S. states seeking to stop his plans — vowing to sell the plans online. Given their untraceable and undetectable nature, plastic guns are seen by many as a threat to the national security.

Wilson was originally arrested for Sexual Assault of Child in August of 2018 after the victim told law enforcement she met Wilson on the online adult dating site SugarDaddymeet.com. The victim and Wilson then began exchanging messages and phone numbers and then Wilson and the victim agreed to meet at a local coffee shop, according to prosecutors. After meeting in person, the DA's office said, Wilson then drove the victim back to his hotel room where they engaged in sexual intercourse and, shortly thereafter, Wilson retrieved five $100 bills from his bag and gave the money to the victim.

Previous coverage:

Plastic Gun Maker Cody Wilson Arrested In Taiwan: Reports

Judge Blocks Austin Plastic Gun Maker From Publishing Blueprints

Austin 3-D Printed Guns Advocate Pleads Guilty To Sex Charge

Austin Plastic Gun Maker Arrested, Brought Back To U.S.

Man At Center Of Plastic Gun Debate Faces Sex Assault Charge

Wilson later drove the victim to the Whataburger restaurant at 3400 West Slaughter Lane. Shortly thereafter, the victim contacted law enforcement, which resulted in criminal charges being filed against Wilson. But before being arrested, Wilson fled to Asia where he was subsequently extradited back to Travis County, the DA's office said.

In addition to the standard sexual offender probationary conditions, Wilson must register as a sexual offender, perform 475 community service hours, pay $4,800 in restitution, and install monitoring software on any device he owns that can access the internet. Also, he must attend sexual offender treatment programs as directed by the department of probation, have no unsupervised contact with minors, have no contact with the victim, submit a DNA sample to law enforcement, and comply with any other conditions that are deemed necessary by the department of probation.

Should he violate the terms of his probation, the DA's office noted, Wilson could be sentenced by the court for up to 10 years in prison.

At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, Assistant District Attorney Joe Frederick said he knows “the victim and her family are glad this ordeal is over and they are looking forward to healing and getting back to normal.”