3D-printed gun maker Cody Wilson gets probation in sex assault case

The man at the center of the controversy over 3D-printed guns was sentenced Thursday to seven years probation in a sexual assault case in which he was accused of having sex with an underage girl. Cody Wilson pleaded guilty in August to a lesser charge of injury to a child as part of a plea deal, the Austin American-Statesman reported Thursday.

The 31-year-old Wilson will also have to register as a sex offender during his probation and is prohibited from possessing a gun while he's on probation, the newspaper reported.

"It was a fair resolution for everyone," his lawyer Joe Turner told the newspaper.

Wilson, owner of Defense Distributed, was at the center of the controversy when 19 US state attorneys general filed a lawsuit to block the free distribution of his 3D-printed gun design files due to public safety concerns. The states scored an early victory when a federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order, then a preliminary injunction to block the free publication of the gun plans.

Wilson started selling the gun plans online the next day, calling it a loophole that the lawsuit didn't mention sales of the guns.

Prosecutors say Wilson sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl last year in Austin, Texas, after meeting through the website SugarDaddyMeet.com. The girl told investigators she was paid $500 after the two had sex in an Austin hotel.

US marshals brought the 3D-printed-gun creator back to the US last September after local authorities arrested him in Taipei, Taiwan. Wilson resigned from his company after his arrest.

Wilson was also ordered to pay $4,840 in restitution to the victim and a $1,200 fine to Travis County, where Austin is located. He must also perform 475 hours of community service and take part in sex offender therapy.