3D printer gun plans seller pleads guilty to sex with minor

3D printer gun plans seller pleads guilty to sex with minor
In this Aug. 1, 2018, file photo, Cody Wilson, with Defense Distributed, holds a 3D-printed gun called the Liberator at his shop, in Austin, Texas. On Friday, Aug. 9, 2019, Wilson, who sparked a nationwide legal fight over the constitutionality of firearms made with a 3D printer, pleaded guilty to having sex with an underage girl. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

The founder of a Texas company that sells plans for making untraceable 3D printed guns pleaded guilty Friday to having sex with an underage girl.

Travis County Assistant District Attorney Joe Frederick said Cody Wilson pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of injury to a child under a plea deal with prosecutors. Wilson initially faced sexual assault charges.

Frederick said prosecutors met extensively with the victim and her parents before reaching the plea agreement.

"And after several months of going through the case and talking with them about what they desired and what they wished, we felt that this was a satisfactory conclusion to the case," Frederick said.

Wilson's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The recommended sentence would keep Wilson out of prison while requiring him to register as a sex offender for seven years and serve deferred adjudication probation.

Wilson would also have to pay a $1,200 fine, perform community service hours and possibly attend treatment counseling. He would not be able to own a firearm while serving probation.

Wilson was arrested in Taiwan last year, where police say he flew after learning he was being investigated over the allegations.

Authorities said Wilson met the girl through the SugarDaddyMeet.com dating website. According to an affidavit, the girl said they met in the parking lot of an Austin coffee shop in August and then drove to a hotel. The girl told investigators that Wilson paid her $500 after they had sex and then dropped her off at a Whataburger restaurant.

Wilson, a self-described "crypto-anarchist," has said "governments should live in fear of their citizenry."

Wilson founded Austin-based Defense Distributed, which sells designs to make 3D printable guns. He stepped down as the company's director after his arrest last year.

© 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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