SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Darrin Bell, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, has been arrested for allegedly possessing AI-generated child pornography in Sacramento.
The Sacramento Sheriff’s Office said they launched an investigation into the 49-year-old Bell after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of an account uploading child pornography.
The office said the initial tip was related to 18 files of child sex abuse material; further investigation found 134 videos of child pornography were linked to an account owned and operated by Bell.
Officials said Sacramento Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Division detectives obtained a search warrant for Bell’s home; detectives searched his home on Jan. 15, where they recovered evidence related to the case as well as AI-generated child porn.
Bell was arrested for the possession of child porn and was booked into the Sacramento Main Jail, where he is being held on $1 million bail.
The Sheriff’s office said this was the first arrest made in Sacramento for AI-generated child porn since a new law went into effect, making it a criminal offense.
Bell has been a prominent cartoonist in California, creating both “Rudy Park” and “Candorville” cartoons. It has been published in the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and the Oakland Tribune.
He was awarded the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning.
Bell is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 17.
ABC10 has reached out to Bell for comment.
