AUSTIN, Texas — Cody Wilson, the 3D-printed gun advocate and owner of Defense Distributed, has been arrested in Taiwan, according to the Central News Agency and The Taiwan News.
- Taiwanese media outlets report Wilson has been arrested
- Wanted in Austin for sexual assault of a minor
- Owns company that sells 3D-printed gun blueprints
According to the newspapers, Wilson was arrested at 6 p.m. Friday local time at a hotel on Wanhua’s Guangzhou Street.
The Taiwan News said a real estate agent alerted police of Wilson’s whereabouts and that he signed a six-month lease for a studio apartment. Wilson paid the first month’s rent and a deposit on Thursday, but he failed to turn up at the agreed time on Friday to take possession of the keys for the apartment.
On Sept. 19, Austin police obtained an arrest warrant for Wilson for sexual assault. According to the affidavit, a counselor contacted the police Aug. 22 and advised authorities that a juvenile female, under the age of 17, had sex with a 30-year-old male, who was later identified as Wilson.
According to Austin police, Wilson initially engaged with the girl on the SugarDaddyMeet.com and met her at a coffee shop in South Austin before going to a North Austin hotel, where Wilson allegedly assaulted the juvenile and paid her $500 in cash.
Wilson is a self-described "crypto-anarchist" and is now selling blueprints that allow users to 3D-print their own plastic guns. In August, a federal court order barred Wilson’s company, Defense Distributed, from posting the plans online. Wilson said he believes that selling them, instead of posting the plans for anyone to view or download for free, will not run afoul of a Seattle federal judge’s order.
Less than two weeks after the alleged incident, all eyes were on Wilson as he held a news conference in Austin announcing the plans.
“This is about these state desperately flailing for some type of internet power to prevent people from sharing things online. I won’t give it to them,” Wilson said on Aug. 28.