His arrest comes amid a broader conversation about distrust and partisanship in the mainstream media. The U.S. press is now the least trusted institution in the country, according to Gallup.
The Sacramento Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Detectives (ICAC) was acting on a tip that someone was uploading child sexual abuse material online. When detectives followed the trail, they found the 134 videos linked to an account allegedly controlled by Bell.
The Sacramento Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Detectives (ICAC) was acting on a tip that someone was uploading child sexual abuse material online. When detectives followed the trail, they found the 134 videos linked to an account allegedly controlled by Bell.
On Wednesday, officers searched the cartoonist's home and found more evidence, including AI-generated child pornography, which recently became a criminal offense in California. Bell was taken into custody on a charge of possession of child sexual abuse material.
Bell is being held on a $1 million bond at the Sacramento County Jail, with a court appearance scheduled for Friday. As he was arrested for a non-violent crime, California law prohibits law enforcement from releasing his mugshot.
The artist, who created the "Candorville" and "Rudy Park" cartoons, won his Pulitzer in 2019 for his editorial cartoons covering politics and social issues, becoming the first Black artist to win the accolade. His work has been featured in the Washington Post, New Yorker and the Los Angeles Times.
Bell is being held on a $1 million bond at the Sacramento County Jail, with a court appearance scheduled for Friday. As he was arrested for a non-violent crime, California law prohibits law enforcement from releasing his mugshot.
The artist, who created the "Candorville" and "Rudy Park" cartoons, won his Pulitzer in 2019 for his editorial cartoons covering politics and social issues, becoming the first Black artist to win the accolade. His work has been featured in the Washington Post, New Yorker and the Los Angeles Times.
Within the past few weeks alone, Bell has shared videos to his YouTube channel, making jabs at the GOP for its response to the Los Angeles wildfires and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for his apparent switch in support of President-elect Donald Trump.
Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, in a press release: "This case was the first arrest by Sacramento Valley ICAC where possession of computer-generated/AI CSAM was charged against a suspect. The law changed on January 1, 2025, to include AI-generated material as a criminal offense."
California Democratic Assemblymember Marc Berman, who wrote the new law, told KCRA: "California law made it illegal to create or distribute child sexual abuse material, but it specifically said of real children. This was a loophole essentially in the law that wasn't prepared for A.I. technology and deepfake technology."
Bell is due to appear at the Lorenzo Patiño Hall of Justice at 3 p.m. local time Friday, January 17, for arraignment.
Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, in a press release: "This case was the first arrest by Sacramento Valley ICAC where possession of computer-generated/AI CSAM was charged against a suspect. The law changed on January 1, 2025, to include AI-generated material as a criminal offense."
California Democratic Assemblymember Marc Berman, who wrote the new law, told KCRA: "California law made it illegal to create or distribute child sexual abuse material, but it specifically said of real children. This was a loophole essentially in the law that wasn't prepared for A.I. technology and deepfake technology."
Bell is due to appear at the Lorenzo Patiño Hall of Justice at 3 p.m. local time Friday, January 17, for arraignment.