Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Darrin Bell has been apprehended on allegations of possessing videos related to child sexual exploitation, which include material generated by artificial intelligence.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office reported that it received a notification from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the uploading of 18 files containing child sexual abuse videos.
Authorities discovered a total of 134 videos of child exploitation material associated with the same account, which they assert is owned and operated by Bell, aged 49.
Police executed a search warrant at Bell’s residence in California on Wednesday, recovering evidence pertinent to the investigation along with computer-generated content.
He was detained on suspicion of uploading and possessing child sexual abuse material and is presently in custody with a bail set at $1 million. Bell appeared in court on Friday.
The sheriff’s office indicated that he is the first individual in the county to face charges under a revised California law that renders child sexual abuse material produced by artificial intelligence unlawful.
According to NBC News, Sky’s U.S. partner network, a woman who identified herself as Bell’s spouse requested the broadcaster to “pray for me and my children” but did not provide any further comments.
Characterized by the sheriff’s office as a “renowned cartoonist”, Bell won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 2019 as a freelancer, becoming the first Black artist to achieve this accolade.
The Pulitzer website highlighted his “striking and bold editorial cartoons” that addressed “issues impacting marginalized communities, exposing deceit, hypocrisy, and misconduct amid the political unrest associated with the Trump administration”.
Also recognized for his series Candorville and Rudy Park, Bell’s creations have been syndicated across prominent national publications, including the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Washington Post.
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In covering his arrest, the Post announced it would suspend Candorville from its comic strip lineup.
As stated on his website, Bell began his journey in cartooning in 1995.
