Darrin Bell, First African American Pulitzer Winner, Arrested in Sacramento for AI-Generated Child Pornography

Jan 16, 2025, 10:21 AM

Darrin Bell, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist known for his work in the Washington Post and other newspapers, has been arrested in Sacramento, California, on charges related to child pornography. The arrest follows an investigation initiated by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office after Bell uploaded 18 files containing child sex abuse material (CSAM) to an online service. Authorities discovered a total of 134 videos of CSAM, including AI-generated content, leading to a search warrant being executed at Bell's home. Bell, who is the creator of the comic strips 'Candorville' and 'Rudy Park,' is currently being held in Sacramento County Main Jail on a $1 million bail, with a court appearance scheduled for Friday. This case marks the first instance in Sacramento County where an individual has been charged with possession of AI-generated child pornography, following a new law effective from January 1. Bell, in 2019, became the first African American journalist to win the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning for his work addressing issues affecting disenfranchised communities and calling out political turmoil surrounding the Trump administration.