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Kyle Carrozza, the creator of the Cartoon Network series Mighty Magiswords, has been arrested on child pornography charges.
Carrozza, 45, was arrested in Burbank on 20 June as part of an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigation.
According to Burbank Police Department arrest records, he is a freelancer and was taken into custody at 7:30am and charged with “possession of child pornography twice.”
Carrozza has been charged under California penal code 311.11(a), which relates to the possession of child pornography, and also an enhanced 311.11( c) charge, which relates to individuals knowingly in possession of at least 12 videos, or 600 images, of child pornography.
The offenses can be charged as either a misdemeanor or felony and are punishable by up to one year in county jail or up to five years in state prison. If found guilty of either charge, Carrozza will be ordered to register with law enforcement as a sex offender.
The Independent has reached out to Carrozza’s representatives and Cartoon Network for comment.
Carrozza was educated at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, before going on to work as an animator for studios including Disney, Nickelodeon and Paramount.
His animated series Mighty Magiswords, which follows the adventures of sibling warriors-for-hire Vambre Marie Warrior and Prohyas Robert Warrior, debuted as an online-only short-form series in 2015.
It was the network’s first online original series, and Carrozza acted as animator, voice actor, musician and storyboard artist. Rob Sorcher, then-chief content officer for Cartoon Network, praised the show in 2016 for adapting to the way young people consume media on phones and other devices. “This is about how stories can be told in new ways and how a community can play together,” said Sorcher.
In 2016, Cartoon Network developed the series into a linear television show, which ran for two seasons and over 90 episodes up to 2018.
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The show received mixed reviews online, with Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media describing the series as: “Short on substance or value.”
Ashby added: “Kids may not learn much from watching, but they’ll undoubtedly enjoy the characters’ antics and the laughable mayhem that ensues when each new magisword gets put to use.”
Carrozza’s other credits include storyboarding on Warner Bros Animation’s Animaniacs reboot, Apple TV+’s The Snoopy Show and Camp Snoopy and Disney Junior’s Doc McStuffins.
He is also credited with character layout on Paramount’s Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge Out of Water.
If you are a child and you need help because something has happened to you, you can call the NSPCC free of charge on 0800 1111. You can also call the NSPCC if you are an adult and you are worried about a child, on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adults on 0808 801 0331
