Cody Wilson, the 3D-printed gun rights activist, has a warrant out for his arrest, according to an affidavit partially published Wednesday by an Austin-based reporter, Tony Plohetski.
NOW: This court record describes the allegation against Wilson. pic.twitter.com/OLihNi79Xa
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) September 19, 2018
According to the document, which was also described by KVUE, Wilson is accused of meeting a girl under the age of 17 through a website known as SugarDaddyMeet.com and paying her $500 for sex last month in Austin, where Wilson lives.
Wilson allegedly used the username “Sanjuro,” a seeming reference to a 1962 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa. At some point, according to the affidavit, which was described by the , Sanjuro identified himself as Cody Wilson and further indicated that he was a “big deal.” Wilson also allegedly exchanged nude photos with the girl.
According to Travis County records, as of Wednesday morning, Wilson had not yet been booked into the jail.
Wilson did not respond to Ars’ request for comment.
A sordid tale
Last month, Wilson convened a press conference at a hotel in Austin where he announced that he would be selling CAD files of firearms for the first time—previously he had given them away on the Internet, until his legal troubles began.
As Ars has reported, Wilson’s company, Defense Distributed, has been involved in a years-long lawsuit with the Department of State over publication of those files and making them available to foreigners. The company runs DEFCAD, perhaps the best-known online repository of gun files.
After a surprising June 2018 settlement with the Department of Justice appeared to end that five-year legal battle with the government, DEFCAD reposted the files on July 27, a few days earlier than the company had initially said it would restore them.
With the settlement, the federal government essentially agreed to modify the relevant export laws. Defense Distributed would be allowed to publish, the DOJ would pay $40,000 of DD’s legal fees, and the case would be over. The Second Amendment Foundation announced the settlement on July 10.
Then, last month, a group of states led by Washington sued the Department of State, claiming that allowing the files to be made available violated a federal administrative law. The Seattle-based judge ruled against the group of states for a preliminary injunction, and the case continues. The files have also been distributed on numerous other websites.
According to the affidavit, Wilson met with the underage girl at an Austin hotel on August 15, less than two weeks before his August 28 press conference.
Joshua Blackman, a Houston-based attorney who represents Defense Distributed, told Ars that he did not represent the Austin man in criminal matters.
“I only represent Cody on his civil cases,” he wrote.
None of Defense Distributed’s attorneys involved in the Washington case immediately responded to Ars’ request for comment. In addition, the Travis County District Attorney’s office also did not immediately respond to Ars’ request for comment.
