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Cody Wilson, 3D-Printed Gun Pioneer, Arrested In Taiwan (reason.com)

Cody Wilson, maker of the first 3D-printed plastic gun, has been arrested in Taiwan. Long-time Slashdot reader SonicSpike quotes Reason: Earlier this week, Texas police issued a warrant for his arrest. Wilson, they claimed, found a woman on sugardaddymeet.com, a website that requires all users to assert they are 18 or over, then met her and paid for sex with her. Police say the woman was actually 16, which made that act a violation of Texas penal code 22.011 (A)(2)(a), regarding sex with a minor, which is legally considered sexual assault regardless of consent or payment.

While Taiwan has no formal extradition treaty with the U.S., and Wilson was not said to have been doing anything directly criminal in Taiwan, the press there reports that he was arrested without incident because the U.S. had revoked his passport, making his mere presence in Taiwan illegal. (The U.S. government has the power to revoke the passports of people facing felony arrest warrants.) Wilson was then, according to The New York Times, "delivered...to the National Immigration Agency" in Taiwan. It is expected to deport him to the U.S. to face those charges, which carry a potential 2 to 20 years in prison and $10,000 fine.

A reporter for Ars Technica visited Wilson's home weapons printing company, and was told that "A management restructuring is coming." But they also contacted Adam Bhala Lough, who directed and wrote a documentary film about Wilson. Prior to Wilson's arrest, Lough argued that "Without Cody, it can't last. It's like Tesla and Elon Musk, you can't separate the two.

"If he comes home and faces the music, there is a chance Defense Distributed will survive because it is a totally independent company without a board or any regulatory body. And the buyers of these products -- not to generalize, but at least the ones I met while doing the documentary -- they won't care about buying a product from an [accused] pedophile. In fact they may be even more emboldened by the idea that Cody was 'set-up' or that it is a 'deep-state conspiracy' against him, even if (or when) he admits to it."

5 of 476 comments (clear)

  1. Beware character assasinations by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Any time a person in the government's crosshairs gets arrested on a sex crime or pedophilia charge, be VERY wary of believing it.

    Anyone remember what happened to the IMF Director who was stupid enough to challenge the supremacy of the U.S. dollar?

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  2. Re: Does anyone really believe the government here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    No, someone IN THE STATE OF TEXAS of the age of 16 is not fully developed. FIFY.

    In the United States, every state has it's own age of consent, with the most common being age 16. Yes, that's right, 16. Unfortunately for Cody, his love making was done in the state of Texas, where the legal age of consent is 18. If he had simply been living up north by one state, he might not be in such hot water.

  3. Not a pedophile by shaksys · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Paying for sex with a woman who convincingly passes as an adult does not make a person a pedophile. A criminal, yes, but saying he is into prepubescent children because he bought sex from a person who could easily pass as a fully grown adult is just fraudulently incorrect.

  4. Re:Yes by nedlohs · · Score: 5, Informative

    Who is "we"?

    About half the US population live in states where they do not, in fact, imprison people who fuck 16 year old - 31 states set the age of consent at 16.

    14 isn't uncommon in South America and Europe.

    Unsurprisingly, your "we" doesn't actually run the entire world.

  5. My loss of trust in law enforcement by Andy+Smith · · Score: 5, Informative

    I got through 43 years without ever being in trouble with the police. Then I got on the wrong side of one police officer, and next time I encountered him he walked over to me and arrested me. Him and a colleague gave written statements that Iâ(TM)d assaulted them. Fortunately there was a recording of my arrest and the prosecution was dropped.

    Itâ(TM)s hard to go through an experience like that, and still take this story at face value. I just donâ(TM)t trust law enforcement anymore.