3D-printed gun activist Cody Wilson extradited to Houston from Taiwan
HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Cody Wilson, the man at the center of a 3D gun printing rights revolution, will be extradited to Houston from Taiwan to face a sexual assault charge, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
The charge follows from a 16-year-old girl who told a counselor about a paid sexual encounter between the two.
Wilson is scheduled to be in Houston at around 12 a.m. Sunday. He had missed another scheduled return flight to the U.S., according to Commander Troy Officer with the Austin Police Department's Organized Crime Division.
The U.S. Marshals Service released the following statement early on Sunday morning:
The U.S. Marshals have received and taken custody of an Austin business owner at the International Airport in Houston tonight, who is charged in Travis County for an Aug. 15 sexual assault of a juvenile female.
Cody Rutledge Wilson, 30, a known gun enthusiast in Austin and owner of Defense Distributed, which is listed as a nonprofit, private defense firm, was arrested at a hotel in Taipei Sept. 21 by Taiwan police.
Austin police obtained an arrest warrant from the 427th District Court in Travis County for Wilson for sexual assault after 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 to be Wilson.
The police investigation determined that Wilson initially engaged with the juvenile on the SugarDaddyMeet.com and met the girl 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.
The Austin Police Department requested assistance from the U.S. Marshals Sept. 19 after it was determined that Wilson had likely fled the Austin area.
“This was a collaborative effort that demonstrates the dedication of local, state, federal and international officials working together to bring this fugitive to justice,” said U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas Susan Pamerleau.
Wilson has been transported and booked into the Harris County Jail located in Houston, where he has been turned over to state authorities and will begin his judicial proceedings, with a bond set at $150,000.
According to police paperwork, Wilson and the victim met face to face on the night of Aug. 15 at a coffee shop on South Congress in Austin. Surveillance video shows the two leaving together in a black SUV registered to Wilson's company Defense Distributed.
Wilson valet-parked at a North Austin hotel and checked in.
"They were able to confirm each step of the victim's story with videotape and interviews," Officer said.
The victim says she and Wilson had sex in the room and then paid her 5 $100 bills.
FOX 7 Austin reporters contributed to this story.