A hidden camera was allegedly discovered recording guests — including adults and children — in the bathroom during a birthday party at the Berkeley home of a local pop culture writer and longtime Cartoon Art Museum curator.
The incident occurred during a May 23 birthday gathering co-hosted by 50-year-old Andrew Farago last month, where a guest reportedly discovered a cellphone hidden in the bathroom that was actively recording, as Berkeley Scanner first reported.
Police said the device contained footage allegedly showing Farago setting up the phone, concealing it with a towel, and positioning it to capture people using the restroom. According to court records, investigators also seized roughly a dozen electronic devices while serving a search warrant at the residence.
Farago reportedly acknowledged what he had done when confronted and later emailed attendees apologizing for the incident, calling it an "inexcusable violation" of both their privacy and friendship.
"I hid my phone in our bathroom for the purpose of spying on our guests, my closest friends in the world. I had never done anything like that before and don’t know what possessed me to do it," Farago reportedly wrote, per Berkeley police and the Berkeley Scanner.
Police subsequently obtained an arrest warrant alleging 20 counts related to secretly recording people with a concealed camera. Farago was arrested June 3 at his home, though prosecutors have not yet filed formal charges and Berkeley police say the investigation remains ongoing.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Farago worked as curator at San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum from 2001 until his arrest, and he's authored several books on comics and pop culture.
The nonprofit Cartoon Art Museum, which has operated since 1984, relocated to Fisherman's Wharf from SoMa ten years ago.
Related: Alleged Toilet-Taping Teacher Took At Least 180 Videos Of Urinating Guests
Image: Cartoon Art Museum/Facebook
