That notorious 3D-printing gun organization has new leadership because its founder is accused of a felony

[View this email in your browser]( [Open Ars Technica in your browser]( [Ars Orbital HQ] [The components of The Liberator, the world's first entirely 3D-printed handgun]( It's been a crazy week for tech watchers in Austin, Texas, and that has nothing to do with the currently in progress genre-palooza that is the [Fantastic Fest]( film festival. The debates around [3D-printed firearms]( and the related digital free speech issues intertwined with posting the corresponding CAD files online has reached a fever pitch this year. (Yes, even President Trump has [tweeted]( about it.) Those issues have primarily involved one entity in the last five-plus years: Defense Distributed, a Texas-based 3D-printing guns organization founded by activist Cody Wilson. That's the company 20 state attorneys general recently took back to court in the latest high-profile legal twist. But life for Defense Distributed is about to change somehow, and it has nothing to do with things taking place in a courtroom. Last week, an affidavit filed by the Austin Police Department revealed that [Wilson has been accused of sexual assault against a minor]( and that allegation sparked a [multiday international affair]( to locate the 3D-printed guns pioneer. Wilson is now awaiting a day in court, Defense Distributed has [entirely new leadership]( and where those actions leave the company's business and legal cases remains anyone's guess. So for this week's Orbital Transmission, we'll catch you up on everything that's happened so far so you're ready to do the same for others whenever this likely high-profile court case gets underway. —[@NathanMattise]( Orbital Transmission 09.25.2018 [Austin Police Department's Commander Troy Officer]( The [accusations against Wilson]( according to APD The [child sexual assault allegations against Wilson]( first came to light when the Austin Police Department submitted an affidavit for a warrant last week. In the [five-page document]( APD revealed Wilson had solicited a girl through SugarDaddyMeet.com, took her to a hotel on the city outskirts, and paid her $500 for the evening. The girl was later found to be underage when a counselor she confided in reported the incident to authorities. APD corroborated the girl's account of the night through security camera footage, hotel records, and license plates. [Cody Wilson's arrest warrant, updated over the wknd]( The multiday, international effort leading to [arrest]( Wilson is currently in Texas and an arraignment in Travis County remains TBA—but it wasn't an easy path for authorities to this point. Wilson had flown to Taiwan in early September and APD said he skipped his flight back when tipped about the allegations. Wilson reportly [tried to pass himself off as a student and placed a downpayment on a rental]( but the agency recognized him after the accusations became public. The rental agency contacted authorities, the US cancelled his passport, and [Taiwanese officials then arrested Wilson]( for illegally being in the country. He was [deported to the US]( over the weekend, booked in Harris County (in Houston), and released on bond. [The Ghost Gunner CNC Mill]( Why the name Cody Wilson may be [familiar to tech folks]( Why do tech watchers care about a possible Texas felon? In 2012, Wilson famously founded [Defense Distributed, his 3D-printing guns company](. DefDist sells a CNC Mill called the Ghost Gunner (above) that makes it easier to finish off "lowers" for pistols or firearms like an AR-15. The company made the first entirely 3D-printed firearms prototype called the Liberator, and it also now [sells the digital CAD files]( for anyone who wants to make similar firearms. That has put the organization in a five-years-and-running legal battle with various federal and now state authorities looking to block that distribution to foreign countries. [New DefDist Director Paloma Heindorff (center)]( What happens to [Defense Distributed]( from here When the Wilson news broke last week, few knew what would happen to both his company and its ongoing legal efforts. [Ars tried to visit the Austin offices on Friday]( and all DefDist was prepared to say was, "A management restructuring is coming." Today, [that transition was revealed](. Wilson evidently resigned by choice on Friday, and Paloma Heindorff—a three-year DefDist employee with a background in the arts—assumed the director position. Wilson will have no involvement with the company going forward, and DefDist intends to continue its business (both the actual sales and the legal efforts) as before. Very little is known about Heindorff, but she indicated the company isn't in mourning. "He’s been an incredibly powerful figure, but this is about an idea. We believe in something, and that something isn’t one man—it’s an idea." [Advertisement]( [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Powered by Live Intent]( [Ad Choices]( [Advertisement]( [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Powered by Live Intent]( [Ad Choices]( [Facebook Logo]( [Twitter Logo]( [YouTube Logo]( [Instagram Logo]( Copyright © 2018 Ars Technica / Condé Nast, All rights reserved. You are receiving our newsletter because you signed up at Ars Technica (). Our mailing address is: Ars Technica / Condé Nast 1 World Trade CenterNew York, NY 10007 [Add us to your address book](//arstechnica.us1.list-manage.com/vcard?u=af7f013bad7e785d15aab736f&id=0adf3ee3d9) Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display]                              Â