3D-printed gun designer Cody Wilson gets probation in child sexual assault case

Cody Wilson, the Austin man who gained national attention for attempting to make blueprints for 3D-printed guns available online, was sentenced Tuesday to seven years of probation in a child sexual assault case and will be required to register as a sex offender, according to the Travis County District Attorney's office.

Last September, just weeks after announcing plans to publish the firearm designs on his website, Wilson was arrested in Taiwan after being accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl.

He pleaded guilty to injuring a child, a third-degree felony, last month.

A Thursday news release from the Travis County District Attorney's Office said that Wilson had sex with a 16-year-old girl in his room at the Archer Hotel in Austin on Aug. 15, 2018, paid her $500 and then drove her to a Whataburger. Shortly after, she called local authorities and filed criminal charges against Wilson, according to the release. An arrest affidavit filed last year in Travis County said Wilson met the girl through SugarDaddyMeet.com, where he used the screen name "Sanjuro."

In addition to probation and registering as a sex offender, Wilson must install monitoring software on any device he owns that can access internet, pay $4,800 in restitution and perform 475 hours of community service. He must also attend sexual offender treatment programs.

In a statement, Travis County Assistant District Attorney Joe Frederick said that “the victim and her family are glad this ordeal is over and they are looking forward to healing and getting back to normal."