By Jim Emerson
BERKELEY — Andrew W. Farago, 50, of Berkeley, faces charges for allegedly recording
videos of children and adults using his bathroom. An investigation and forensic analysis of
evidence seized remains ongoing, following his arrest earlier this month.
Farago, who worked as a curator at the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum, was booked on a warrant at Berkeley City Jail on June 3, alleging 20 counts of
invasion of privacy. Farago allegedly hid a cell phone with a camera to secretly record victims
under their clothing to view their body or undergarments.
A phone was found concealed inside a towel positioned to make recordings of persons using
the toilet. Evidently, Farago also inadvertently recorded a video of himself setting everything
up to make videos of the victims.
A woman attending a birthday party on May 23 at his South Berkeley residence confronted
him, after discovering the setup. Guests who attended the party later received an email
apology purportedly from Farago.
Investigators obtained a copy of the email stating the following:
“I hid my phone in our bathroom for 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. This
was an inexcusable violation of your privacy and our friendship. I am prepared to face
whatever consequences will come from this tremendous lapse in judgment.”
When Farago was arrested his residence was searched. Detectives recovered about a dozen
electronic devices for digital forensic analysis, with results pending.
As a result of the ongoing investigation, Farago has left his former longtime position as
curator at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco.
