An American accused of trying to smuggle a 24-carat, gold-plated semi-automatic gun into Australia has been unmasked as a heavily tattooed graphic designer who goes by the alias of ‘River’ .
Liliana Goodson, 28, who uses ‘they/them’ pronouns, would have stood out to other passengers on the 15-hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney that touched down at Sydney Airport 7.05am on Sunday.
Goodson was wearing a bright yellow jumpsuit, platform pumps and blue hair to compliment her extreme piercings and multiple face tattoos.
Shortly after touching down, a scan of Goodson’s luggage by Border Force agents allegedly detected a gold-plated, 1911 Colt 45-style pistol.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Goodson – who also goes by the name River SolDorado Salvatore Chunga – had a job lined up in Australia and planned to live in the trendy beach suburb of Bondi.
But those plans have gone awry after the discovery of the $2,000 gold-plated weapon inside Goodson’s suitcase.
Liliana Goodson (pictured), 28, is accused of trying to smuggle a golden gun into Australia
Australian border force x-rayed Goodson’s luggage and allegedly found the 24 carat gun (pictured)
Goodson was taken to Surry Hills Police Station and charged with intentionally importing a prohibited item with without approval.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of ten years in jail if she’s convicted. Goodson also faces visa cancellation and deportation back to the US.
Goodson appeared in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Monday where she paid $10,000 to secure her bail.
The U.S. citizen has been ordered to stay at a boutique guest house in Bondi until the next court appearance on May 10.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal Goodson grew up in U.S. southern state of Alabama and studied physics at Troy University after finishing high school.
Goodson worked in a range of hospitality jobs after 2016 and had a stint as a tattoo artist in Andalusia for three years before relocating to Los Angeles and moving into freelance graphic design.
In March, Goodson wrote a post in an LA-based Facebook group asking whether any users would foster two dogs for about eight months.
‘I’m traveling overseas for work and unfortunately, the process to export my loves is a long process due to the country’s requirements,’ they wrote.
Goodson, who also goes by the alias River Salvatore, is a graphic designer from Alabama, in the US
Goodson (pictured) also planned to bring her two dogs to Sydney from LA
‘I would love to keep in touch for updates, as well as someone who can work with me as I continue their half year or so process so they can eventually join me overseas.’
Pictured: The x-ray of Ms Goodson’s bag
Importing a dog from the US to Australia is a lengthy and expensive process which involves multiple government-approved vets, blood tests, parasite checks, and mandatory 10-day quarantine upon arrival.
Following Goodson’s arrest, Australian Border Force Commander Justin Bathurst said the agency’s were able to prevent the deadly weapon from entering the community through the combined efforts of ABF officer skills and sophisticated detection technology.
‘We have seen just how good ABF officers are at targeting and stopping illegal, and highly dangerous, goods from crossing Australia’s border,’ he said.
‘The ABF is Australia’s first and most important line of defence.
‘ABF officers are committed to protecting our community by working with law enforcement partners to prevent items like unregistered firearms getting through at the border.’
American gun nut famous for brandishing a semi-automatic rifle at uni is left stunned when she confronts an Australian who supports basic weapons control
By Brett Lackey
An American pro-gun activist has clashed with an Australian on the streets of New York over his support for basic gun control laws.
Kaitlin Bennett, 27, was interviewing people for her right-wing site Liberty Hangout in the clip shared to TikTok this week that has reached more than a million views.
Bennett made headlines in 2018 when she turned up at Kent State University in Ohio a day after her graduation with an Armalite AR-10 semi-automatic rifle strapped to her back.
The then 22-year-old posed for photos holding a graduation cap emblazoned with the words ‘come and take it’ which she said was in protest of the university’s policy that prohibited students and staff carrying ‘lethal weapons’ on campus.
In the clip, which was filmed in 2019 but has gone viral again, Bennett asks the Australian man, who appeared to be with a group about to attend a show in Times Square, whether ‘You guys have the right to bear arms there?’.
Kaitlin Bennett was interviewing people for her right-wing site Liberty Hangout when she spoke to the Australian in a clip that has gone viral again this week
Bennett made headlines in 2018 when she protested Kent State University’s gun policies by turning up with a rifle strapped to her back
The 27-year-old is a vocal supporter of conservative politicians such as Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis
The man replies: ‘Yes… but under license so they don’t fall into the hands of nut cases and you have all those high school massacres ‘.
‘So you have gun control? That’s terrible, I don’t want to live there,’ Bennett tells the man.
Bennett regularly appears on social media brandishing various guns and declaring her support for hard-right politicians such as Donald Trump and Florida governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis.
Bennett asks the man if he considered gun control a good thing.
‘Absolutely!’ the man replies.
Bennett argued: ‘Why does my right to self defence need to be controlled? Why do I need a license to protect myself from a nutcase?’
The man replies: ‘Because it stops guns falling into the wrong hands. There is a strict screening process.’
Bennett then argued that she has a right to self defence and to protect her property and asked if the government should ‘have their hands in my self-defence’.
‘Are you happy for innocent people to be killed because the evidence shows that’s what happens? The proof is in the pudding,’ the man replied.
Australia’s gun laws changed in 1996, spearheaded by former Prime Minister John Howard following the Port Arthur massacre, and since then the country, in stark contrast to the United States, has seen almost no mass shootings.
Kaitlin Bennett regularly posts pictures of herself posing with various firearms
The man then tells Bennett he has a concert to go to and walks away with his group.
‘Don’t ever become citizens, guys,’ Bennett yells.
Commenters on the clip seemed to take the Australian man’s side in the debate.
‘Guns laws stop the need for so much self defence… is she that naïve?’ one person said.
‘He wiped the floor with her and she still thinks she’s right.’ another said.
‘Typical, assuming everyone wants to be American.’ added a third.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk