Cody Wilson, Home Weapon-Making Pioneer, Charged with Sexual Assault for Paying for Sex with a Minor

He is not yet in custody and is believed to be in Taiwan.

Cody Wilson, the maker of the first 3D-printed plastic gun who is currently embroiled in legal trouble as he fights to assert his and his company's (Defense Distributed) First Amendment rights to distribute computer files that can help in the homemade printing or machining of weapons, has a warrant out for his arrest for a second degree felony charge of sexual assault. The potential punishment on conviction would be two to 20 years and a $10,000 fine.

The affidavit from a police officer reporting the testimony of the person with whom Wilson allegedly had sex describes her meeting Wilson via a website called sugardaddymeet.com. The site requires those using it to assert they are over 18, but the person in question is actually 16. The two are said to have met last month and traveled to an Austin, Texas, hotel, where they had sex, for which Wilson paid the girl $500.

The nature of the charge under Texas penal code 22.011(A)(2)(a) makes consent or payment irrelevant; her being legally a child is all that matters.

According to police in a press conference today, the event became known to them via the girl in question discussing it with an unnamed and unspecified "counselor."

Wilson has not been taken into custody. The Austin police said they believe him to currently be in Taiwan and claim to be working with "United States marshals to locate Mr. Wilson." They believe Wilson knew that the victim was speaking to police about the incident. Wilson did not respond to a request for comment today.

Comments

[Ron]

The Austin police said they believe him to currently be in Taiwan

Being Taiwan proves he is a pervert for children

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

Or maybe it's just an explanation for why he's not in custody. As evil as cops and prosecutors can get, sometimes being away is just being away.

[Joshua]

That's Thailand. Taiwan is not particularly known for sex tourism.

[Ron]

I concede my confusion since they both start with a "T"

[MWG]

OTOH Joshua appears to know a lot... hmmm *narrows gaze*

[BestUsedCarSales]

He learned all he knows from the musical Chess.

[Unicorn Abattoir]

He gets his kicks above the waistline, sunshine.

[Bearded Spock]

You see one crowded, polluted, stinking town...

[mysmartstuffs]

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble....

[I am the 0.000000013%]

That's why viagra was invented

[sharmota4zeb]

It's near Vietnam. Maybe those baby boomers did more than acid overseas.

[Jimothy]

"Narrows haze" is clearly hate speech against Taiwanese people. Or maybe it's Thai people. Either way, the South Yorkshire police have been notified.

[ThomasD]

Yeah, the closest thing to sex tourism in Taiwan is the betel nut girls.

[Walk_on_Walter]

And because you're retarded. We get it.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The site requires those using it to assert they are over 18...

That won't save him. And this charge won't stop 3D printed guns, so if it's a setup (as many will believe), what's the point?

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Bitch set him up?

[sharmota4zeb]

At this point, it's only the affidavit. False accusations happen, but I'll hold judgement until the court case ends.

[loveconstitution1789]

Lesson to others who think about challenging the corrupt government bureaucrats and politicians.

I watched Kavanaugh vs Feinstein, and he was cowering to her unconstitutional views of the 2nd Amendment protections. I hope he was just playing nice and will grow some balls on the SOCTUS relating to no gun control is constitutional.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

I think I'd be cowering to if I had to stare into the eyes of pure evil. I shutter just thinking about it.

[mysmartstuffs]

The word is shudder (not to mention "too"), and it sounds like cowering is pretty much your resting state.

[Earth Skeptic]

Unless you are a turtle.

[sharmota4zeb]

Right, it's "shudder" like "budder". Thanks.

[Shadows]

Thanks for the grammar lesson noby asked for man! Bet you're a big hit at parties.

[I am the 0.000000013%]

I would shutter my eye lens if it were staring into the eyes of pure evil.

[Kyfho Myoba]

Kavanaugh is rock solid on the 2nd. What we need to worry about is the 4th - sumbitch helped write the "PATRIOT" Act, plus he's got some real shitty decisions on pc at the appellate level (see Judge Nap at the Mises Institute)

[Qsl]

To serve as a warning to any that would follow in Wilson's path that they can be brought to heel should they become irritating enough?

For all the trials and tribulations of Defense Distributed, very few people would want to put themselves through that. Same with Assange or Snowden (and the litany of charges that followed them); if you piss off the right people, it is certain some charges can be made that are essentially impossible to defend against.

That certainly puts a crimp into the future of printed firearms.

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

To serve as a warning to any that would follow in Wilson's path that they can be brought to heel should they become irritating enough?

If they are immoral creeps who act on criminal impulses at the expense of minors, what is the argument against bringing them to heel? If they are not criminal louts . . . ostensible problem solved.

[Qsl]

Everyone has skeletons in their closet, even you.

Have you checked the birth certificates of everyone you've ever had sex with? How can you be so certain you aren't also one of those criminal louts?

[TuIpa]

Because he's too detestable for anyone to ever have had sex with, hence his certainty.

[BestUsedCarSales]

He named his account after an anime character a million fujoshi want to fuck. He's a god damn sexual tyrannosaurus.

[TuIpa]

Meaning he's frustrated because his arms are too small for him to masturbate?

[BestUsedCarSales]

There's a lot of issues, we don't have time to get into all of them.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

There are other ways to masturbate that do not require hands.

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

Don't hate me because I am a libertarian.

[Ama-Gi Anarchist]

You're about as libertarian as Joseph Stalin was you verminous shitheel....

[Walk_on_Walter]

Bwahaha! Amen!

[An Owl Named Dur]

"Have you checked the birth certificates of everyone you've ever had sex with?"

I do, and if she's older than 15, it's a hard pass.

[Anomalous]

If there's grass on the field, you won't play ball?

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

One of the advantages of refraining from cheating on your spouse is lack of anxiety about being tagged for creepy trolling for underagers on pay-to-play websites.

[Brett Bellmore]

A rare occasion of agreement with the "Rev"; we were just discussing this, and that IS an obvious take away. Of course, Wilson isn't married, but sleeping around isn't smart even if you're single.

[Oli]

It might not be smart, but most importantly: It's none of your, or anyone's, business. Consent and adult age implied.

[Walk_on_Walter]

So we can't have opinions on it. The fuck out of here.

[Azathoth!!]

Birth certificates?

Artie's like everyone in his family, he only fucks relatives.

The boys' family tree looks like an exercise in non-euclidiean geometry.

Plus, since he's the runt of the squalor he has to service his papawsister and can only screw the underagers that he prefers while they're waiting for narcan to revive them.

[neoteny]

immoral creeps who act on criminal impulses at the expense of minors

they had sex, for which Wilson paid the girl $500

[mysmartstuffs]

maybe it was transcribed wrong and he said "expensive minors" 😉

[Duke of url]

"Still not price gouging"!
/ Stossel

[neoteny]

Stossel always gets it.

[Walk_on_Walter]

"If they are immoral creeps who act on criminal impulses at the expense of minors, what is the argument against bringing them to heel?"

I don't know. Let's check with Democrats on Bill Clinton and Keith Ellison, shall we?

[Mark22]

That won't save him. And this charge won't stop 3D printed guns, so if it's a setup (as many will believe), what's the point?

To spread fear among people developing technologies that governments disapprove of?

[Brett Bellmore]

To make anybody who'd take his place think twice?

They can't stop 3D printed guns, but they can slow them down a lot by taking out anybody who publicly advances them.

[Eman]

Far safer for them to be advanced in secret.

[BigChiefWahoo]

Does seem awfully convenient for Wilson's critics and political opponents. "Honey trapping" is not a recent innovation.

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

Smells like the usual dirty tricks, but the only evidence which looks fishy is the 16 year old claiming to be 18; the cynic in me wonders who she was working for to reel in Cody? On the other hand, Cody sure seems to have been playing pretty stupid games here, even if it wasn't a setup. You don't have to be Einstein to think that not all 18 year olds are really 18.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Smells like the usual dirty tricks, but the only evidence which looks fishy is the 16 year old claiming to be 18; the cynic in me wonders who she was working for to reel in Cody?

It's entirely possible. I have no doubt that law enforcement watches everything Wilson does. Everything.

Therefore it's not unreasonable to assume that they knew Wilson liked to browse and/or had an account on SugarDaddy.com.

However, even my cynical ass is a little shocked to believe that law enforcement would put an underage girl up and let her "become a victim" before busting wilson. Had they burst in on him before anything happened... like arresting him while he's waiting to meet the girl at a coffee shop, then I'd be more suspicious of a setup: Recruit an underage girl to strike up a relationship, set the honeypot then before anything physical happens, arrest Wilson.

But who knows.

[buybuydandavis]

If it's a setup, it's not a local police department who came up with it.

This is more of a national political move, and that the ruling reptiles would refrain from using an underage girl for sex is laughable.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Perhaps so. If he's been set up, let's hope he has a good lawyer. If he wasn't set up, let's hope he has a good defense.

[Chuckles the Snarky Piggy]

"This is more of a national political move"

This sounds pretty plausible. The chances that locals just happened to bust the underage pro that Cody banged and that she was wise enough to offer him up in order to improve her position is pretty damn slim. This reeks of entrapment. Unfortunately for him, if it wasn't law enforcement that set him up, not sure he has any defense.

Damn, Cody, you should have crossed the border before you tapped it.

[sharmota4zeb]

Perhaps the first charge allowed the police to search his computer and discover the sugar daddy account. *Sigh* These days, even having a charge on a credit card from a website called "Go Daddy" could earn you a day talking to the local police.

[loveconstitution1789]

They actually have a term for it and its called honeypot.

[Earth Skeptic]

So what are you gonna do? Cut her open and count the rings?

[sharmota4zeb]

Growth plates for bones fuse at age 21 and an x-ray will reveal this. A marriage license normally requires ID. Maybe we should make a type of legal marriage that does not involve joint assets and is easy to dissolve. Then couples ready to take that step can go to town hall for a quicky ... wedding.

[sharmota4zeb]

Ahhh ... sorry, I was just remembering some time alone with my ex-wife and a plate of salmon on our wedding day between the ceremony and the reception. 😉

[SIV]

Doherty drew the short straw!

[loveconstitution1789]

The nature of the charge under Texas penal code 22.011(A)(2)(a) makes consent or payment irrelevant; her being legally a child is all that matters.

Well he's making incorrect claims like most writers at Reason.

There are affirmative defenses. Whether they apply here is clearly not something Reason writers will look into.

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

[citation needed]

See how easy that is?

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

Ha on me! I see you anticipated my request. Good doggie. Have a cookie.

[TuIpa]

Just admit you were an asshole and avoid the attempts at face saving .

Right now, LC looks like the bigger person.

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

I dunno; what do you think "ha on me" means? I guess maybe earth languages are not your native tongue.

[TuIpa]

I think it means exactly what I said, and the rest is a smokescreen.

[TuIpa]

"Good doggie. Have a cookie."

That's shitty. The "Ha on me" doesn't make it not shitty.

But forget it. It's not my business.

[MatthewSlyfield]

Texas Penal Code Chapter 22

(e) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under
Subsection (a)(2) that:
(1) the actor was not more than three years older than the victim and at the time of the offense:
(A) was not required under Chapter 62, Code of
Criminal Procedure, to register for life as a sex offender; or
(B) was not a person who under Chapter 62, Code of Criminal Procedure, had a reportable conviction or adjudication for an offense under this section; and
(2) the victim:
(A) was a child of 14 years of age or older;
and
(B) was not a person whom the actor was prohibited from marrying or purporting to marry or with whom the
actor was prohibited from living under the appearance of being married under Section 25.01.

As I understand it, all of the above conditions must apply for an affirmative defense to exist and 2(B) means that they can't be committing bigamy or incest

Since the victim is alleged to be 16 and Cody Wilson of Defense Distributed is 30, the affirmative defense described here does NOT apply as he is more than 3 years older than the victim.

[Brett Bellmore]

The irony is, the older you get, the worse you get at telling the difference between a 16 year old and an 18 year old; They all start looking like kids.

[Juice]

So she willingly signed up for an account on a website called sugardaddymeet.com, presumably to meet a sugar daddy. She then met one on the site, which again was presumably her intention. Then she willingly had sex with him and accepted money for doing so, which was the entire goal of signing up for an account on sugardaddymeet.com.

Yep. That screams victim.

[Rich]

Hey! Her brain is still forming! Just like Kav,ah,never mind.

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

Your sympathy makes you a good candidate to be Wilson's pen pal during his incarceration.

[vek]

The funny thing is, in almost the entire world this would be perfectly legal! In Germany street prostitution is legal, and IIRC the age of consent is 16.

If he'd NOT paid her it would be legal in Washington state where I live, because age of consent is 16. The money bit would still get him in trouble here of course...

But yeah, not especially a victim here. The funny thing is, it sounds like she's more just an idiot who let some dumb ass counselor talk her into ratting. Really dumb on her part. She already did the whoring, all she's done is turned her life into an even bigger disaster by going this route.

[loveconstitution1789]

Tx Sec. 22.011. SEXUAL ASSAULT. (a) A person commits an offense if:
[...]
e) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under Subsection (a)(2):
(1) that the actor was the spouse of the child at the time of the offense; or
(2) that:
(A) the actor was not more than three years older than the victim and at the time of the offense:
(i) was not required under Chapter 62, Code of Criminal Procedure, to register for life as a sex offender; or
(ii) was not a person who under Chapter 62, Code of Criminal Procedure, had a reportable conviction or adjudication for an offense under this section; and
(B) the victim:
(i) was a child of 14 years of age or older; and
(ii) was not a person whom the actor was prohibited from marrying or purporting to marry or with whom the actor was prohibited from living under the appearance of being married under Section 25.01.

Texas also has an affirmative defense in other sex crimes for having sex with a minor but no threats or violence occurred and mistaken age was a factor.

I dont practice law in Texas, so I dont know if each criminal offense has it own set of defenses.

The Age of Consent in Texas is 17, not 18. He's screwed if he didnt get a picture of her ID and it says 17 or older.

[KevinP]

So I found the Texas law in question:

http://tdcj.state.tx.us/divisi.....ment_A.pdf

? 22.011. SEXUAL ASSAULT. (a) A person commits an offense if the person:

...
(2) intentionally or knowingly:
(A) causes the penetration of the anus or sexual organ of a child by any means;

...
(c) In this section:

(1) "Child" means a person younger than 17 years of age who is not the spouse of the actor.

I highlighted intentionally or knowingly. Would this not mean that Wilson would have had to know that this girl was actually under 17? I am assuming that the rest of the interaction was consensual.

[MatthewSlyfield]

I would bet that the state argues that "intentionally or knowingly" only applies to "causes the penetration of the anus or sexual organ" and not to the age of the alleged victim.

[Chuckles the Snarky Piggy]

That seems to imply very awkward construction for the statute. Accidental or unknowingly penetrating a child would be an affirmative defense?

"Sorry, your honor, I tripped and fell in."

[Juice]

Hey now, it's worked before.

[Careless]

Age of consent has nothing to do with prostitution. He has no defense if he actually did it

[loveconstitution1789]

If she was 17 there was no crime of sexual assault of a minor in Texas.

[MatthewSlyfield]

What you quote above is ONE affirmative defense and all the listed conditions must be true for the defense to apply.

Cody Wilson is a good bit more than 3 years older than the alleged victim.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

Too bad he didn't marry her first.

[Just Say'n]

Has Shikha demanded an FBI investigation yet?

[Raoul Duke]

It'll be quick and easy and may even clear him!

Some days I think a few Reason authors could moonlight at The Onion.

[MatthewSlyfield]

The Onion is dead. Real life has surpassed anything they could imagine.

[Raoul Duke]

That's true, and maybe they (Shika) should be writing for the Daily Kos anyway. Better fit probably.

[JFournier]

And this story is appearing on Hit & Run! Yes, run, Cody, run!

[LeaveTrumpAloneLiberal-tarian]

I just smashed in my 100k metal sintering 3D printer that i've Been using to fabricate a gun that I could have bought on Walmart.com for 200 bucks in protest of this obvious sting by agents of Deep State Obama. When I finished I took the gun out and blew part of my nose off when firing it. I'm having a bad day, you could say.

[mysmartstuffs]

lol...gun nuts = self-correcting problem

[loveconstitution1789]

2nd Amendment rules!

[loveconstitution1789]

Printing guns is cool.

[mysmartstuffs]

So is eating one, which is what this freak will be doing next when they close in on his hotel room.

[Ama-Gi Anarchist]

So which Proggie asshole sock-puppet account are you?

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

I have a hard time distinguishing the bigoted, half-educated, disaffected faux libertatians around here. Which one are you?

[Real American]

he's clearly the victim of a fraud

[? Aggressor]

What kind of fucking moron goes on sugardaddymeet whilst in the middle of being attacked by a heap of state attorney's general after just winning a federal lawsuit. I mean I have no idea if this was a honeypot but I wouldn't put it past those scumbags for doing it and this guy outta know better with how much they're after him.

[mad.casual]

I haven't been through a lot of these investigations but a) is Cody Wilson dumb? and b) Jesus Christ is there an orgy of what might, in other situations, be circumstantial evidence. Video of the meetup. Video of the valet at the hotel. Video of them walking through the lobby, onto and off of the elevator. Video of him dropping her off at the Whataburger. It's bizarre the way the officer collected this much damning evidence this quickly. I can believe Cody Wilson was this stupid for a piece but other than that it seems uncharacteristically stupid.

[? Aggressor]

He's toast, he's been fighting the good fight and I really like his stuff but no way he gets out of this one with all that video evidence. A damn waste.

[Mark22]

he's been fighting the good fight

No, he hasn't really. He's been needlessly creating legal issues around 3D printing that we didn't need. The most likely outcome of that is unwise regulations.

[dchang0]

RE: "The most likely outcome of that is unwise regulations."

The gun control freaks would've banned 3D printing of guns with or without Cody. The first person to print one publicly would've triggered the same moral panic anyway.

I think Cody has done a damn good job fighting the legal side. If it had been any random maker, he or she probably would've folded immediately upon the first gov't charges.

[Mark22]

The gun control freaks would've banned 3D printing of guns with or without Cody. The first person to print one publicly would've triggered the same moral panic anyway.

And the longer it takes for that "first person" to appear, the better.

I think Cody has done a damn good job fighting the legal side. If it had been any random maker, he or she probably would've folded immediately upon the first gov't charges.

Yes, and that would probably have been a good thing because that delays passage of legislation.

[mad.casual]

And the longer it takes for that "first person" to appear, the better.

B.S. They would've banned it quietly and without our knowledge. It wouldn't be "Jesus Christ they hate guns so much they'll destroy the 1A too?", just a perpetual state of "I wonder why nobody prints any guns or gun parts?"

Yes, and that would probably have been a good thing because that delays passage of legislation.

Again no. The thing dchang0 didn't point out is de rigueur bans. Again, we wouldn't have Cody Wilson and Pornhub saying, "Come and host your gun files and videos here!" we'd have large numbers of people getting little notices from Thingiverse that the 80% lower files they uploaded violated some vague portion of their terms of use. As bad if not worse, we could've had a Michael Moore-type mockumentary exposing the secret underground world of 3D arms printing in the midst of the next mass shooting panic.

Cody Wilson clearly wasn't perfect, but that he was a "Come and take it"-type was fortuitous.

[mad.casual]

And the longer it takes for that "first person" to appear, the better.

Hell, they were trying to ban plastic guns decades before the 3D printer was invented.

[Ron]

it does look like a set up but they didn't force Cody to go to Sugar daddy unless the girl was being used to catch anyone and it just turned out to be Cody much like the Oakland cops used the young prostitute for their personal use as well as catching people

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

According to police in a press conference today, the event became known to them via the girl in question discussing it with an unnamed and unspecified "counselor."

Make of that what you will.

[Michael S. Langston]

Yeah, the counselor the PD sent her way after watching him closely sans warrant/reason.

Not sure if it's true, but sounds like the poor reasons given when FBI found Silk Road's IP.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

What kind of fucking moron goes on sugardaddymeet whilst in the middle of being attacked by a heap of state attorney's general after just winning a federal lawsuit.

The kind of idiot that pays for sex with underage girls instead of wanking off to the computer like a normal incel.

[An Owl Named Dur]

Having a pair of testicals is like being handcuffed to the village idiot.

[Bearded Spock]

Yep. If you purposely piss off the Powers that Be, then you need to keep your nose clean. Because they will come after you someday.

[Drave Robber]

I misread this as "keep your hose clean". Works either way I guess.

[Mark22]

What kind of fucking moron goes on sugardaddymeet whilst in the middle of being attacked by a heap of state attorney's general after just winning a federal lawsuit

The same kind of self-aggrandizing f-ing moron who makes a big deal out of 3D printed guns in the first place, rather than letting them grow and succeed quietly.

[dchang0]

Re: "rather than letting them grow and succeed quietly."

That's not possible with the internet/social media around. Any 3D printed firearms movement would grow on the internet, and that's not quiet enough to slip under the gov'ts all-spying eye. Wilson got ahead of the gov't by rapidly publicizing the 3D printed gun, rather than building it quietly, getting raided by the ATF, and his criminal case never being mentioned in any news articles at all.

[Mark22]

Wilson got ahead of the gov't by rapidly publicizing the 3D printed gun, rather than building it quietly, getting raided by the ATF, and his criminal case never being mentioned in any news articles at all.

The big threat to 3D printing isn't low level criminal cases, the big threat is legislation. So I consider that preferable.

[mad.casual]

The big threat to 3D printing isn't low level criminal cases, the big threat is legislation.

Because the two are completely unwed?

There's no legislation against manufacturing and planting a hoax device but you sure as hell can be convicted of it and go to jail. Does that make you feel more free than if there were?

Again, of all the people to bring the process to light (or quietly assassinate it in the shadows) Cody, while not unique, was a positive in a field that contains a dominating number of negatives.

[susancol]

^^^^^
This!

[Don't look at me.]

Sex. It's always about sex. How surprising is it that a guy the government hates is wrapped up in a sex scandal? Not very.

[Oli]

How surprising is it that random guy who isn't under surveillance by the feds 24/7 does something illegal? Not very. Granted, not that much guys are paying for sex with underage girls (or so I hope), but watch someone long and close enough, and you'll have something to take him to court for.

[LeaveTrumpAloneLiberal-tarian]

Cody Wilson is reportedly on the lam in Taiwan after someone tipped him off that Austin PD was investigating him on suspicion of sexual assault of a minor.

If I was some liberal SJW asshole i'd Ask where in the world Black people could get this form of justice, but being that i'm a red-blooded Trump supporter who loves my guns and the 2A more than God I would simply congratulate the brave patriot that frustrated the plans of Obama and the Deep State. Thank you, Captain America!

[Just Say'n]

Cathy, your parodies are really bad. At least work on this for God's sake. You show no effort in the craft of trolling. Julie Borowski really broke you.

[LeaveTrumpAloneLiberal-tarian]

Ma'am, i'm Just here to point out about how yet another rich White guy has been wronged by The Fuzz and Obama. How long is it going to take to end this racist profiling?

[Just Say'n]

Of course Cathy goes all in on the identity politics, that's the whole reason why Stossel rolled his eyes at your nonsense. Work on your parody.

[BestUsedCarSales]

What happened with Stossel?

[Just Say'n]

What's more important is that Cathy needs to perfect her craft like OBL. At least OBL sounds plausible sometimes.

[mysmartstuffs]

His mustache got deregulated and he died of hair pollution.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

No hashtag for this?

[LeaveTrumpAloneLiberal-tarian]

#RichWhiteGuysLivesMatter

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

You know I'll give you a B+ for that.

[LeaveTrumpAloneLiberal-tarian]

B+? Have I insufficiently praised Dear Leader Trump in some way or not adequately described the plight of White Men in Amerikkka's fascist society of social justice warriors in some way? How can I do better if I may?

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

As your professor, it's my duty to inform you that the longer you stand in front of my lectern protesting this grade, the lower it's likely to go.

[BestUsedCarSales]

They're not a good parody of OBL. They don't even understand OBL well enough to get it right.

[LeaveTrumpAloneLiberal-tarian]

You mean that asshole on here that keeps telling all of us Trump supporters and libertarians that libertarianism means letting people work where they want to work? Why would I even want to understand that kind of nonsense?

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

The sequel is rarely as good as the original.

[SIV]

#MinnesotaStrip

#LittleLadiesoftheNight

[SIV]

Shit, I missed the obvious:

#JailBait

[perlchpr]

I'll see your Jailbait and raise.

[Unicorn Abattoir]

Anyone who can reference a Dictators song is OK with me.

+1 SIV.

#5 Short Minutes

[sharmota4zeb]

What town you do live in that doesn't have a lookout on the corner to announce when the cops arrive?

[SIV]

What do the kids yell these days? Down in Florida, back in the 80s, youngin's would ride around on BMX bikes and alert the criminal enterprises with calls of "Ninety-Nine!"

[Brett Bellmore]

Actually, that could be part of the setup; I know a guy who was warned in jail that he was going to be killed, and the jailer offered to help him escape because he wasn't really guilty of anything.

After he spent a long time on the lam, it ended up looking like the jailer was in on a plot to make him an escaped felon who could be shot on sight, and he'd just turned out to be better at running than they'd anticipated. He managed to come back and get released for time served, because the original charge was so dubious, but if the plot had worked he'd have been dead.

[Ken Shultz]

"The nature of the charge under Texas penal code 22.011(A)(2)(a) makes consent or payment irrelevant; her being legally a child is all that matters."

There's this thing called mens rea. Given the story as it's described in this post, I wouldn't expect a jury to believe that Cody Wilson is guilty of this--beyond a reasonable doubt--unless they can substantiate that he knew she was underage.

Meanwhile, in 31 out of 50 states, by my count, the age of consent is 16, and he would have been legally okay.

Legally okay.

Regardless of what you think of him personally, his activities and arguments to stretch the boundaries of our Second Amendment rights are admirable.

There's this thing called an ad hominem fallacy.

[BestUsedCarSales]

I don't know his correct move here. Unless details come out that really change the interaction here, he violently assaulted her against her will, he actively knew she was underage, etc, I feel bad for him. Fleeing the country doesn't do him much good in the public eyes, I'm sure. That being said, if he goes to court and loses you can bet he's getting the DreadPirateRoberts treatment.

[sharmota4zeb]

Granted, I think one should obey the laws of the state one is in and he was in the wrong if the allegations are true.

However, I will ask for the sake of argument, if the "right activity wrong state" argument works for smoking pot in a state before it's legalized, why wouldn't it work for being in the wrong state for statutory rape?

[Jickerson]

Granted, I think one should obey the laws of the state one is in and he was in the wrong if the allegations are true.

Why? Many laws are unjust. Breaking unjust laws is not wrong.

[Hank Phillips]

A modest suggestion: The LP platform committee might try to first lower the VOTING age. Then, if that works, talking about raising the age of consent to what it is in godless Canada, Australia or Russia (16) or Catholic Portugal or Brazil (14), to say nothing of primitive countries like Japan (13) might just possibly be pulled of without torch-wielding religious Comstock congregants cutting open pillowcases and heating up kettles of tar.

[buybuydandavis]

"There's this thing called mens rea."

There's also a thing called consent, but an exception is made in the case of sexual interactions with children.

I would not be surprised at all if it's basically strict liability for sex with children, regardless of mens rea.

[Kyfho Myoba]

> "There's this thing called mens rea."

Not any more, there isn't. It's been statutized away.

[Michael S. Langston]

I agree mens rea is imprtant, but for many laws these days it's considered antiquated. Statutory rape is just one and the jury will be told "answer these questions" and one of those questions will not "did the defendant have a reasonable expectation the victim was at or over age of consent" it will be only "issue she underage" and "did the defendant have sex" and with yeses they are theoretically obligated to convict.

Though you're the lawyer, so maybe I'm wrong, but only jury nullification would likely work and that cannot be discussed to juries...

[Ken Shultz]

I'm not a lawyer, but, if it were me, I'd pressure my lawyer to emphasize reasonable doubt about whether he was aware she was under 18--especially if I genuinely didn't know she was under 18.

If I were a juror and the prosecutor put this to me, I'd be wondering about whether he knew how old she was.

I'd also be asking about whether I can get a fair trial in liberal Austin. As a gun rights celebrity, he may need a change of venue.

[Brett Bellmore]

Jury selection is going to be really important here, because they'll be working overtime to avoid jury nulification.

[loveconstitution1789]

All you need is one person to hold out for Not Guilty.

[Brett Bellmore]

And for the judge not to figure it out in time to declare a mistrial, so that they can recruit a better vetted set of jurors, and try again.

[CaveMan]

Only one "Not Guilty" vote will result in a new trial. Nothing short of a Grand Jury "No Bill" or 12 not guilty votes will make this go away.

The state has all the time and money in the world. If they want to retry you, they will.

[Hank Phillips]

Note to foreign readers: American religious conservatives refer to socialists and libertarians as "liberals" in a tradition established by Anthony Comstock. This is the reason they are known as conservatives, which to them is a geuzenaam.

[CaveMan]

"I'm not a lawyer, but, if it were me, I'd pressure my lawyer to emphasize reasonable doubt about whether he was aware she was under 18--especially if I genuinely didn't know she was under 18."

Which might work, until the first couple of objections from the state and the judge starts throwing around contempt citations then declares a mistrial and your new lawyer absolutely refuses to cross the judge.

[RedRiot7451]

As I said below, he had to know the level of scrutiny he was/is under.....That he was/is toeing a fine line and that in regards to thumbing his nose at the government, a single misstep was/is going to be jumped all over.......I find it hard to feel sorry for him, when he seems intelligent enough to know better.

RR

[Ken Shultz]

Well, the question isn't whether we should feel sorry for him. The question is a) whether he's guilty of a crime and b) whether this has anything at all to do with gun rights.

[sharmota4zeb]

Damn! That's why MLK Jr told you to skip his march.

[Jgalt1975]

Meanwhile, in 31 out of 50 states, by my count, the age of consent is 16, and he would have been legally okay.

Except that in quite a few states paying for sex with a minor is treated more severely than a normal prostitution charge even if the minor was over the regular age of consent (i.e., it might be legal to have sex with someone 16-18 years old for free, and it might be only a light misdemeanor to pay for sex with someone who is 18+, but paying for sex with someone 16-18 years old will get a much heavier misdemeanor or even a felony charge).

[Unable2Reason]

"...second degree felony charge of sexual assault."

Surprise...surprise...a felony would preclude him from possessing firearms.

[Rich]

"Or even the *blueprints*, motherfucker!"

[Hank Phillips]

Gosh, how convenient for drafters of Kristalnacht gun laws! Ironic, then, that the age of consent in Germany is 14.

[IceTrey]

Should have come to OK where 16 is just fine.

[mysmartstuffs]

Isn't that where the GOP congressmen molest little boys?

Oh, wait: that's everywhere.

[loveconstitution1789]

Democrats- the party of serial pedophiles.

[SKR]

When you are pushing the limits of legality in one area, you are a fool to push the limits of legality in another. Sure postitution shouldn't be illegal but you know they'll come after you for it and since it is illegal you have no regulatory assurances that the hooker isn't a minor.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Don't commit more than one crime at a time.

[BestUsedCarSales]

Pfft, whatever. The mere existence of the trunk of my car violates, like, 30 goddamn laws.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

That must be some trunk.

[sharmota4zeb]

The only arms in my trunk are the ones from that mannequin.

[mpercy]

When I bought my last car, I commented to the dealer that it was at least a two-body trunk. Guy had no idea how to respond to that.

[perlchpr]

+1

[sharmota4zeb]

Yeah, as a matter of general principle, I try to have only one pending court case at a time.

[majil]

This is what happens when you make the Feds look stupid. The site states all have been cleared and are legal age .
and as usual the feds go after a person with a death sentence.

[sharmota4zeb]

Yeah, websites say they clear everyone to be over the age of consent, but don't have a good system to double check. UK sites should have age verification by now. I forget exactly when that UK law comes/came into effect.

[RedRiot7451]

It goes without saying, unequivocally, that if the evidence points to Cody being guilty, legitimate evidence that is, he should be put in jail for a long time......I am at pains to understand how, knowing the firestorm he has created, that whether this was a set up or whether he is legitimately guilty, how he thought this was something smart to involve himself in to begin with.....He can't be that stupid as to not realize the level of scrutiny he is under from the government and those that reflexively oppose him.......I admit, 3D gun printing will progress with or without Cody Wilson, but he has put a black mark on it, that some critics will routinely resort to instead of valid arguments.

RR

[Sevo]

"...I am at pains to understand how, knowing the firestorm he has created, that whether this was a set up or whether he is legitimately guilty, how he thought this was something smart to involve himself in to begin with..."

Better than I could say it.
WIH was he thinking?!

[Sevo]

Sevo|9.19.18 @ 7:37PM|#
"...I am at pains to understand how, knowing the firestorm he has created, that whether this was a set up or whether he is legitimately guilty, how he thought this was something smart to involve himself in to begin with..."
Better than I could say it.
WIH was he thinking?!"

I got trolled...

[Chuckles the Snarky Piggy]

A+

See, LeaveTrumpAloneLiberal-tarian, THIS is how you mock the right with libertarian-seeming values that are actually something that would have Tipper Gore creaming in her mom-jeans.

"

[Chuckles the Snarky Piggy]

"but he has put a black mark on it, that some critics will routinely resort to instead of valid arguments."

This is the sweetest coup-de-gras - blaming the VICTIM, the person who was set up and lied to, his misdemeanor indiscretion now a 2nd class felony, removing his right to possess firearms.

[LeaveTrumpAloneLiberal-tarian]

I'm not using parody to mock President Trump's cultists on Reason.com because I honestly think he is the greatest President since Abraham Lincoln. The obvious now put aside, i'd say the above classifies as "unintelligible absurdism"? bringing to mind Marcel Duchamp's "To Be Looked at (from the Other Side of the Glass) with One Eye, Close to, for Almost an Hour"

[VinniUSMC]

I'm not sure whether to tell you to try harder, or to not try so hard. Either way, you're a terrible parody troll, do better please. Or stop.

[sharmota4zeb]

I guess the best retort to a critic bringing up the charges is, "Different people search for different key words when looking for things to read online."

[mysmartstuffs]

Wow I'm so surprised, this guy didn't seem like a psycho creep at all......

LOL

[Brian Dixon]

Victimless gun criminal Cody Wilson is now a victimless sex criminal. It's an Orwellian distortion of language to call a consensual encounter between a 30-year-old and a 16-year-old "sexual assault of a minor".

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

Good luck with your efforts to navigate American society.

[Sevo]

Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland|9.19.18 @ 10:28PM|#

Good luck with your assholery.

[Bramblyspam]

Some enterprising journalist might try finding out whether Wilson was the only person this "victim" met with on that site, or if perhaps there are others. If there are others, are the cops going after any of them, or is this strictly l'affaire Wilson?

[GILMORE?]

This is some KGB shit.

He could very well have banged the girl. But this:

" the event became known to them via the girl in question discussing it with an unnamed and unspecified "counselor.""

sounds like someone knew what the plan was in advance.

[LeaveTrumpAloneLiberal-tarian]

It sounds like Obama to me. He probably put her up to it.

[GILMORE?]

lol

'openborderslibertarian' mock-account makes exaggerated left-libertarian arguments look retarded (to be fair, its easy)

now we have you, which goes crazy-team-red

if you think there's nothing fishy about "underage person solicits sex online, then goes straight to govt lawyer", fine.
Say so.

I just think the entire premise sounds like the opening scene of Down By Law

[Flinch]

Obama? That may be the dumbest thing I've heard this year. Focus on the word "counselor" - that's rather flexible and could be almost anybody: a lawyer, a social worker, a psychic, who knows. It may have been carefully chosen. This "counselor" is treated as a third party concerning story sources, which begs the question: who made the leak to the media? Something is weird about this introduction for public consumption, and it's no simple prosecutor action/single source event.

[Earth Skeptic]

And the girl was actually a 50 year old Russian transvestite midget.

[sharmota4zeb]

High school counselor or drug rehab counselor? It can make a big difference.

[loveconstitution1789]

They call stuff like this honeypots and its really perpetrated on innocent people.

Innocent being men trying to bang adult young women who are sent to trap the man as they are actually underage agents of the state.

[john3141]

If I were a bartender, before serving a drink to someones who I reasonably believed to be a minor, I would demand government issued identification from that person to prove that the requestor of an intoxicating substance, a necessay process to ensure that I'm not illegally selling a substance to someone whose body and mind have not matured to handle said substanc. Unless I know them I must demand ID.
Proof of age is proved by government issued ID.
Businesses are required to do due diligence.

Sugardaddy.com is a website, a for profit company, designed to match older men with willing, younger legally of age women for sex. Sex between an 18 year old and a 40 year old abhorrent
However, under the law, no state criminalizes such action..

If Wilson had sex with someone who he reasonably believed was eighteen, because sugardaddy.com had the burden of making their clients prove they were of legal age, then the requisite intent to commit a crime did not exist.

So, what responsibility should sugardaddy.com bear for recklessly allowing a minor not only to register an account on it's site but further, and more damaging matching that girl with an adult man.

Or do the owners of that website enjoy some form of qualified immunity because they are a business and probably prefaced their site with verbiage such as "this website shall not be responsible..."

[Cyclops]

I figured that they might be charged with child trafficking violations, but it appears that the federal law on the subject has a mens rea requirement -- 18 U.S. Code ? 2422 requires the violation must be done "knowing" the person was under the age of 18. Likewise 18 U.S.C. ? 1591. As a result of her misrepresentations, they're likely in the clear.

[Brett Bellmore]

Yeah, but as a bartender, you wouldn't be looking at a "strict liability" offense, where you're screwed even if she presented real looking ID and had her parents with her to testify as to her age.

[Hank Phillips]

Too bad Ross Ulbricht's lawyer didn't know about that loophole.

[Schmuck281]

It may surprise you but Bangkok does not allow petrol or diesel powered vehicles anymore, Only natural gas is allowed. I visited Bangkok in April (the first time I visited Bangkok was 1968 and I have made several trips in between) the sky is clear and you no longer are in danger of asphyxiation while riding in a Tuk Tuk in traffic. I believe it was accomplished by the Junta. A surprising progress.

[Sevo]

Schmuck281|9.19.18 @ 9:50PM|#
"It may surprise you but Bangkok does not allow petrol or diesel powered vehicles anymore, Only natural gas is allowed. I visited Bangkok in April (the first time I visited Bangkok was 1968 and I have made several trips in between) the sky is clear and you no longer are in danger of asphyxiation while riding in a Tuk Tuk in traffic. I believe it was accomplished by the Junta. A surprising progress."

And an econ-idiot would find that to be positive.

[sharmota4zeb]

It's getting to the point where we should list the local age of consent along with the speed limit on all the highways.

[Azathoth!!]

Gonna need this thing called 'evidence'.

E-V-I-D-E-N-C-E

Because this stinks to high heaven.

[Cyclops]

So, is she going to be charged for a CFAA violation (Computer Fraud and Abuse Act)? The "SugarDaddy" site expressly states that you are in violation of its terms if you sign up and for the site and you are not 18. It's pretty much a black-letter violation of the CFAA. Indeed the site represents to its users that it verifies the identities and ages of its users -- so her misrepresentation as to her age is a violation of a material term of the site. And will she charged as a prostitute for taking money for sex?

Of course, for Mr. Wilson, the state charges may be the least of his concerns as the Feds could probably charge him for using an instrumentality of interstate commerce in commission of the crimes of child pornography (she sent him a nude picture of herself) and possibly corruption of a minor (for sending her dick pics).

[Jerry B.]

Also wonder why she is not charged with prostitution, which is, as far as I know, still illegal in Texas. Might also look into other of her clients and see if any have had money extorted in return for not being linked to sex with a minor.

[santamonica811]

Two reactions:
1. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
2. To me, it's weird to announce this while he is overseas. I guess prosecutors think there is a zero chance he'll try and stay away from the United States to avoid prosecution. If there was even a 1% chance that he would not come back; I would have thought any prosecutor would hold off until the alleged perp was back in the country.

[Sevo]

santamonica811|9.19.18 @ 11:23PM|#
"Two reactions:
1. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."

One reaction:
Fuck off, slaver

[loveconstitution1789]

Make 2A Great Again!

[Flinch]

Not at all weird. The prosecutor gets a national media circus above and beyond the usual local coverage, and also can claim "flight risk" based on his international movements which makes a case look even bigger. I wouldn't be surprised if there has been zero change in any of the evidence known from a month ago, and the prosecutor slow walked process to take advantage of the event of his travel. Second or third interviews of witnesses are not uncommon, so they won't show up on the radar typically and can buy the time needed for plausible deniability when a prosecutor already knows where they are going. Even then, the local judge might not entertain much, and only a second appeal could see daylight. Texas is weird when it comes to prosecutors - recall that the guy who savaged Tom Delay in court had to go grand jury shopping, and it took him 3 tries [I think] to get an indictment.

[DajjaI]

That's not going to be a fun ride home.

[Flinch]

He'll be the first guy off the plane - towed by a US marshal.

[notfreeatall]

The legal notion of "intent" to commit a crime, along with the 4th and 10th amendments, is apparently down the tubes, "for the children" of course.

[loki]

This is why picking up women at a good old fashioned bar is better than the internet. Stick with the cougars!

[loveconstitution1789]

The goal here is to force men to have to deal with crazy women at home or risk getting no sex.

Men cannot go out and get a prostitute for sex- soliciting prostitution is illegal.

Men cannot go out and get a prostitute for sex- police go after the guy for serious sex crimes even though the parents let their kid be a whore and trick older men for money.

Men cannot go out and have sex with adult prostitutes- the men get charged with trafficking women.

Men cannot get a divorce- women take at least 50% of his property.

[Earth Skeptic]

So just give up sex and spend all your time writing comments online.

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

Seems to be the plan for plenty of anti-social, spectrum-inhabiting, intolerant, right-wing faux libertarians.

[Chuckles the Snarky Piggy]

Methinks the pot doth call the kettle a clinger.

[Liberty Lover]

Seems a lot of people that run afoul of the US government's wishes get charged with sex crimes if no other charges can be brought.

[loveconstitution1789]

This could be a simple case of Cody liking underage girls which is illegal.

The fact that this underage prostitute knew who Cody was, seems like a Honey Pot operation.

[vek]

How is it him liking underage girls if he thought she was 18???

Frankly, I'm tired of all this nonsense about teenage girls NOT being sexual beings or whatever. There's nothing morally wrong about thinking a hot 17 year old is hot. THEY ARE.

Actual pedophiles that get off on 9 year olds have a mental issue, but thinking post pubescent girls are attractive is a perfectly normal and natural thing. It's all part of this nonsense lefty neo-puritan crap that doesn't make any logical sense. A 16 year old girl in nature would already be 1-2 babies deep in almost every society that has ever existed in human history. It's perfectly normal to think one is hot.

ALL THAT SAID, I would NEVER want to actually deal with a 16 year old girl! They were bad enough to deal with in high school, and as a 30 something it wouldn't be worth the bullshit, no matter HOW hot they were. It's actually legal in my state as 16 is the age of consent... But not worth the stupid you'd have to put up with. But that still doesn't make somebody a perv for thinking some of them are hot.

[Flinch]

Sixteen year olds would do better to not have sex. Will they agree? Will it ever change? Likely not. But skip over legal age being 16 in other states and ask a question: if a young man [say, 15] commits a gang murder and a court finds the means to 'adjust status' and try him as an adult, why do we allow 16 year old women to commit fraud and not reach for the same tools? What happened was willful and premeditated - taking advantage of the law with expert skill: she had reason to believe that her fraud would never be prosecuted because... the law is an ass, and someone else will get the blame. That's a fairly adult calculation, and as callous as most divorcees I've ever met.

[loveconstitution1789]

Its very troubling that you can accuse a man of sex crimes and convict him without the normal reasonable doubt protections.

[Flinch]

What "you" are we talking about? I'm looking at a Texas prosecutor, unequal application of 'adjusted status' and a charge that appears to be birthed from a purported victim intentionally falsifying her age on a website [if the story has it right].

[vek]

That would actually be a clever way to challenge this, by trying to press charges against her, and go for an adult conviction. You'd need MONEY to throw at it, but you might as friggin' well if they're going to try to screw you hard like they obviously will with him.

[vek]

That would actually be a clever way to challenge this, by trying to press charges against her, and go for an adult conviction. You'd need MONEY to throw at it, but you might as friggin' well if they're going to try to screw you hard like they obviously will with him.

[Tony]

Crazy be crazy. The presence of a gun fetish does not negate crazy. It is, in fact, its own form of crazy. Thank you.

[Ama-Gi Anarchist]

Go crawl back under whatever rock you hide under...

[Pasadena Wallbeds]

he spent a long time on the lam, it ended up looking like the jailer was in on a plot to make him an escaped felon who could be shot on sight, and he'd just turned out to be better at running than they'd anticipated.

[Hank Phillips]

Assuming the entire case isn't fabricated out of whole cloth, Louisiana would have been a better choice--at least in the 1920s. Back then the age of consent there was 14, and girls in Portugal could actually register as prostitutes at that age.

[Incredulous]

So he had sex with someone who represented herself as an adult and had good reason to believe this was verified... yet he is being prosecuted for having sex with a minor. That is all manner of f'd up. The girl herself committed fraud and the site was negligent yet he, the victim of a fraud, is being prosecuted. The law is grossly unjust. The law is basically designed to screw over sexually active adult men, regardless of the facts.

[AmosArch]

Utter bs. If there is a reasonable expectation that the person is of age there should be no crime. You're literally expecting men to be psychic.

[vek]

Yup. I've always thought the "she explicitly lied about her age, and I have proof" line of defense should be valid.

[Incredulous]

Yeah, totally agree. It's completely insane. I was going to say that abstinence is the only way to avoid a sex crime but even that doesn't save you in the #metoo "you must believe her" age.

[vek]

Jesus. I hadn't quite thought of it from that angle... Totally true. And totally insane.

[vek]

I didn't read through all the posts, so some probably mentioned some of this... But I actually read the linked warrant, which had important stuff in there.

It sounds like they have him on video at the hotel with her, POSSIBLY even on child porn charges since they sent n00ds to each other... So it's not he said she said, there is evidence of some variety. He could be REALLY fucked here, mainly because she lied about her age.

I doubt he was setup. Sounds like a dumb chick was stupid and talked about shit to a counselor she shouldn't have, or at least shouldn't have actually spilled the beans on the name. She's going to have more of a shit storm than if she'd just kept quiet herself...

But it also sounds like Cody is a fucking moron. When you have politicians gunning for you, YOU JUST DON'T DO SHIT LIKE THIS! I'd steer clear of hookers and anything else illegal all together... Give them no excuse to fuck with you... But if you're gonna, don't do it through traceable means!

[vek]

He messaged her a bunch, sent dick pics, got naked pics back from her, AND was so retarded he tried to impress her by telling her he was a famous dude, and gave his real name! Even if she had been over 18, he still could have been nailed on prostitution charges, which is shit enough. Don't leave a "paper" trail!

Just sooooo much dumb on his part. Go bang bar sluts, or get a street hooker without ever mentioning your name or something... This was just not smart on his end.

I hope he gets out of it somehow, but I suspect he's going to get the book thrown at him for banging a hooker, banging an underage girl, and child porn charges... Poor bastard.