Darrin Bell, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, was arrested in California on charges of possessing over 100 videos of child pornography, some of which were computer-generated, according to authorities.
Investigators linked Bell, 49, to an online account that had shared 134 files depicting child sexual abuse, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office reported.
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A search warrant executed at Bell’s home on Wednesday morning led to the discovery of additional videos, including those created using artificial intelligence.
The Sacramento Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Detectives led the investigation after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip traced files containing child sex abuse material to a computer associated with Bell. He is the first person in Sacramento County charged with possessing AI-generated child pornography under a state law that came into effect on 1 January.
Bell is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail with bail set at $1 million. Jail records show he faces two felony charges related to possession of child sexual abuse material.
Bell’s career as a cartoonist spans decades, earning him significant accolades, including the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartoons. His award-winning work, praised for tackling issues such as disenfranchisement and political hypocrisy, featured imagery from 2018 addressing figures like Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Rudy Giuliani, and others. Highlights include a cartoon of Trump and Putin fleeing from police, Giuliani selling his soul to criticise Stormy Daniels, and a reference to the 2014 police killing of Gregory Hill Jr. in Florida.
Bell’s editorial cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland Tribune, and other prominent publications. From 2013 to 2018, his editorial cartoons were syndicated by The Washington Post Writers Group before transitioning to King Features Syndicate. His long-running comic strip Candorville remains syndicated by The Washington Post Writers Group, while his earlier comic Rudy Park was discontinued in 2017.
In addition to the Pulitzer, Bell has received several prestigious awards, including the 2016 Berryman Award for Editorial Cartooning and the 2015 RFK Award for editorial cartooning. Bell has expressed a desire for his work to inspire people to treat one another with greater respect and dignity.
In 2023, Bell published a graphic novel, The Talk, chronicling his experiences growing up in Los Angeles. A father of four, Bell’s biography on Amazon paints a picture of a dedicated family man whose work has resonated deeply within American culture.