September 20, 2019

USA: Prominent Democratic Donor Ed Buck Arrested After Multiple Men Overdosed In His Home, Accused Of Running A Drug Den In West Hollywood.


CBS Los Angeles published Sept 17, 2019: Democratic Party political donor Ed Buck was charged Tuesday with allegedly running a drug den out of his West Hollywood apartment and providing methamphetamine to a 37-year-old man who suffered an overdose last week, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office said.

CBS This Morning published on Sept 18, 2019: A prominent Democratic donor is accused of running a drug den out of his Southern California home. Ed Buck is being held on $4 million bail after his arrest overnight. Two men have died in his West Hollywood home from apparent overdoses since 2017. A third man survived an overdose last week. Nikki Battiste reports.
CBS2 News, Los Angeles local
written by Staff
Tuesday September 17, 2019

WEST HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA) — Prominent Democratic donor and LGBTQ+ political activist Ed Buck was charged Tuesday with running a drug den out of his West Hollywood apartment and providing methamphetamine to a 37-year-old man who suffered an overdose last week, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said.

Buck, 65, was charged with one felony count each of battery causing serious injury, administering methamphetamine and maintaining a drug house.

According to the DA’s office, Buck was accused with injecting the victim with methamphetamine at the defendant’s apartment in the 1200 block of Laurel Avenue in West Hollywood. The man survived.

The charges come after two other men died of drug overdoses at Buck’s residence dating back to 2017, prompting community outrage and calls for his arrest.

“I remain deeply concerned for the safety of people whose life circumstances may make them more vulnerable to criminal predators,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement. “With this new evidence, I authorized the filing of criminal charges against Ed Buck.”

Prosecutors recommended bail set at $4 million in a motion that called Buck a “violent, dangerous sexual predator,” who “mainly preys on men made vulnerable by addiction and homelessness.”

The motion went on to say that Buck used the bait of “narcotics, money, and shelter” to lure victims to his home where, “in a position of power, Buck manipulates his victims into participating in his sexual fetishes.”

According to the motion, Buck’s actions “led to the death of two men in Buck’s apartment, Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean.”

Moore died in Buck’s home in July of 2017. The coroner’s office said drug paraphernalia was found at the scene and ruled the death an accidental methamphetamine overdose.

Then, on Jan. 7, 2019, a second man, 55-year-old Timothy Dean of West Hollywood, was also found dead at Buck’s home. His death was also ruled an accidental meth overdose.

“The defendant’s predatory acts and conscious disregard for human life must be stopped,” the motion said.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday. Buck’s attorney said he would fight the charges against his client “vigorously.”

An attorney who said he talked with family members of Moore and Dean said the family members were relieved and grateful that Buck was behind bars.

“It’s unfortunate that it’s taken a third overdose for the (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department) to finally act,” Hussain Turk, the attorney for Moore’s family said. “We believe that the third overdose could have been avoided. We believe that the death of Timothy Dean could have also been avoided had they taken the death of Gemmel Moore seriously.”

If convicted as charged, Buck would face a possible maximum sentence of five years and eight months in state prison.

Buck remained in jail Tuesday night, and the case is still under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Fox News published Sept 18, 2019: Dem donor Ed Buck arrested, charged with running drug den. Prosecutors say Ed Buck injected a 37-year-old man with meth and was operating a drug den; Jonathan Hunt reports from Los Angeles.
Fox News
written by Edmund DeMarche
Tuesday September 17, 2019

LOS ANGELES – Ed Buck, a prominent Democratic Party donor, was arrested Tuesday and charged with operating a drug house after a third man reportedly suffered an overdose inside his West Hollywood home last week and survived.

Buck has faced public scrutiny after two black men died from overdoses 18 months apart inside his home. He was not charged in those cases.

Buck is due in court Wednesday to respond to three counts of battery and injecting the alleged third victim with methamphetamine on Sept. 11, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Prosecutors wrote in court papers obtained by the Times that Buck used his position of power to manipulate his victims into participating in his sexual fetishes.

“These fetishes include supplying and personally administering dangerously large doses of narcotics to his victims,” the prosecutors wrote, according to the Times.

Seymour Amster, Buck’s attorney, told Fox News that he would not comment on the arrest and said he is dealing with the issue. Amster has in the past defended his client and insisted that he did nothing wrong.

In July 2017, a young black man, Gemmel Moore, was found dead of a drug overdose in Buck’s apartment.

An autopsy report said Moore, 26, died of a methamphetamine overdose. He was found naked on a mattress in the living room, which was littered with drug paraphernalia.

Eighteen months later, 55-year-old Timothy Dean also suffered a methamphetamine overdose. Prosecutors didn’t file criminal charges, citing insufficient evidence. Activists, however, called for his arrest.

In the most recent incident, Buck allegedly brought the man to his home earlier this month and injected him with methamphetamine. About a week later, the man returned to Buck's home and was injected again and suffered an overdose, according to court documents obtained by KTLA.

Buck is accused of thwarting the man's attempt to get help. The man fled the apartment and reportedly called for help from a nearby gas station. He survived but was treated at a hospital.

Prosecutors are reportedly seeking bail of $4 million. KABC-TV of Los Angeles reported that he faces up to five years and eight months in state prison if convicted.
UPDATE 10/1/19 at 5:02pm: Added tweet below.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 1:11 AM

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