The Berkeley Scanner reports pop culture writer and historian Andrew Farago was arrested earlier this month, after guests at a May 23 birthday party allegedly discovered they were being recorded by a cellphone in his bathroom. The report, based on court papers, says a woman found a phone containing several recordings, including a video of Farago “setting the phone up, concealing it with a towel, and aiming it to record people’s genitalia as they used the restroom.”
Andrew Farago’s official portrait
The Berkeley Scanner further reports that, when confronted, Farago “made admissions and also stated that he had deleted the videos” from his phone and the cloud.
The article states that Farago subsequently emailed guests to apologize, telling them, “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 is also quoted as saying, “This was an inexcusable violation of your privacy and our friendship and I am prepared to face whatever consequences will come from this tremendous lapse in judgement.”
On June 3, police arrested Farago at his home in South Berkeley, California, on 20 counts of invasion of privacy. They also searched the premises and seized “about a dozen” electronic devices, according to The Berekeley Scanner. At time of writing, charges have not yet been filed and authorities said they cannot release more information as the investigation is ongoing. Farago did not respond to a request for comment from The Berkeley Scanner at the time of publication.
Farago, 50, is the author of books like The Looney Tunes Treasury, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Visual History, and The Definitive History of Batman. He served as the curator of San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum starting in October 2001, but according to his LinkedIn page, the position ended as of this month. At time of writing, his name is no longer listed on the museum website. He is married to cartoonist Shaenon K. Garrity (Willowweep Manor), with whom he has one son.
If you are a U.S.-based victim of sexual assault in need of help, contact RAINN at 800-656-4673 to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area. You can also access their online resources.
