
About Gary Bell
- Latest update: July 2023: in prison in Utah
- born 1956
- LDS positions: unknown | Add info
LDS mission: unknown | Add info
LDS temple marriage: yes 1986 Salt Lake
Criminal case result:
Gary Bell Mormon Sex Crime Case Summary
Gary Lee Bell was married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1986. His father, also an LDS church member, died in 1971 when Bell was 14.
From 2008-2020, Bell worked as an Assistant Attorney General at the Utah Attorney General’s Office, in the Child Protection Division.
In 2020, Bell resigned from the Attorney General’s Office after allegations of misconduct. Pornography had been found on his work computer.
Bell allegedly produced child pornography and allegedly sexually molested a baby girl who was one to two years old. He was arrested at his home in Spanish Fork, Utah in August 2022, released and then arrested again in September.
On August 24, 2022, Bell was arrested.
In August 2022, Bell’s wife told officers that he had attempted to secretly record her without permission while she was in the shower.
On September 13, 2022, Bell was arrested again.
In September 2022, Bell was charged with two first degree felonies and 12 second degree felonies related to sexual abuse of a child.
Also in September 2022, Bell’s wife filed a protective order against him and filed for divorce.
In December 2022, Bell agreed to plea guilty or no contest to four second degree felony charges relating to child sexual abuse: two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, one count of sodomy upon a child, and one count of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.
In court documents obtained by FLOODLIT, Bell agreed to the following statement: “On or about September 13, 2022, in Utah County, the Defendant took indecent liberties and engaged in a sexual act with a victim that was under the age of 14 and the sexual act involved the genitals or anus of the actor or the individual and the mouth or anus of either the actor or individual. The Defendant took two photographs of the act that were later recovered on Defendant’s hard drive.”
On January 17, 2023, Bell was sentenced in January 2023 to one to 15 years in prison. The sentencing took place in the 4th District Court in Provo. Case number: 221402164 FS. Bell is currently in the Utah County Jail as of January 24, 2023.
On June 20, 2023, Bell was sentenced in a separate case (221401946). He had pleaded guilty to 15 counts of 2nd degree felony sexual exploitation of a minor, and two counts of class B misdemeanor voyeurism. No additional prison time was added.
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Online sources
- obituary of the accused's father
- the accused was married in the Salt Lake LDS temple
- obituary of the accused's mother
- Former Utah child protection official arrested on child pornography charges
- Before child porn arrest, lawyer retired from Utah AG’s Office amid allegations of misconduct
- Former attorney with Utah AG’s Office faces 14 additional charges related to sexual exploitation of baby
- Gary Lee Bell Arrested For Child Sexual Abuse And Exploitation Charges
- Utah AG’s Office reveals pornography was found on former attorney’s work computer two years ago
Online sources excerpts
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obituary of the accused's father
Source type:
Publisher: Park Record
Date published/accessed: 27 May 1971
archive 1 | archive 2 -
back to online sources listthe accused was married in the Salt Lake LDS temple
Source type:
Publisher: Uintah Basin Standard
Date published/accessed: 15 Oct 1986
archive 1 | archive 2 -
back to online sources listobituary of the accused's mother
Source type:
Publisher: Deseret News
Date published/accessed: 29 Dec 2005
archive 1 | archive 2 -
back to online sources listFormer Utah child protection official arrested on child pornography charges
Source type:
Publisher: FOX 13 Salt Lake City
Date published/accessed: 25 Aug 2022
archive 1 | archive 2 -
back to online sources listBefore child porn arrest, lawyer retired from Utah AG’s Office amid allegations of misconduct
Source type:
Publisher: KSL
Date published/accessed: 7 Sep 2022
archive 1 | archive 2 -
back to online sources listFormer attorney with Utah AG’s Office faces 14 additional charges related to sexual exploitation of baby
Source type:
Publisher: Gephardt Daily
Date published/accessed: 15 Sep 2022
archive 1 | archive 2 -
back to online sources listGary Lee Bell Arrested For Child Sexual Abuse And Exploitation Charges
Source type:
Publisher: Utah County press release
Date published/accessed: 15 Sep 2022
archive 1 | archive 2 -
back to online sources listUtah AG’s Office reveals pornography was found on former attorney’s work computer two years ago
Source type:
Publisher: KSL
Date published/accessed: 16 Sep 2022
archive 1 | archive 2
Videos: Gary Bell Mormon sex crime case
- Video title: 6pm Hit - Former prosecutor re arrested on alleged sex crimes
- Video description: Gary Lee Bell, 66, of Spanish Fork was booked into the Utah County Jail on Tuesday, Sept. 13, after Detectives found child pornography they believe he produced. - ABC4 Utah - 2022-09-16
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-cCMz4mogI
- Video title: Former Utah child protection official arrested on child pornography charges
- Video description: A former prosecutor who worked in the Child Protection Division of the Utah Attorney General's Office has been arrested for the alleged possession of child pornography. - FOX 13 News Utah - 2022-08-25
- https://youtu.be/_jRUKIKfcoY
- Video title: Former child protection official rearrested after allegedly producing child pornography
- Video description: Former child protection official rearrested after allegedly producing child pornography - FOX 13 News Utah - 2022-09-15
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