Major Democratic Donor Ed Buck Facing Federal Drug Charge After Second Man OD'd At His 'Drug Den'
He reportedly lured the men to his home and administered the drugs.
getty When you think of people who are politically active, you likely think of people who are passionate about making change. Unfortunately, it's not always that simple. Very often the people who are backing even our favorite politicans have personal lives that are much darker than anything we could ever imagine. Who is Ed Buck? In addition to being a prominent political donor and millionaire, Ed is in serious trouble with the law for running a drug house in West Hollywood, among other particularly bleak charges. Here's what you need to know.
1. Who Is Ed Buck?
Ed Buck a is known for the millions he contributed in political donations as well as for his recent legal troubles (read: skeezeball ways). Before he made it big and caused a big scandal, Buck worked as a model in Europe. He saved his pennies while overseas and was able to eventually start Gopher Courier, a (surprise) courier company which became so successful that it actually made him a millionaire. Buck, who is 65-years-old, is a prominent political donor. He's given money to the likes of Peter Aguilar, Hillary Clinton, Ted Lieu and even George W. Bush. He's even on the record as having donated to both the Republican and Democratic national committees.
2. The Horrible Allegations
In 2017 two men, Gemmel Moore, 26, and Timothy Dean, 55 were found dead inside of Buck's home on Laurel Avenue in West Hollywood. Both men died of overdoses of methamphetamine but the authorities at the time said that there wasn't enough evidence to implicate Buck in any wrongdoing. Now, a 37-year-old man listed in the court documents simply as John Doe, has overdosed on meth and survived, but this time the prosecutor has arrested Buck. “From his home, in a position of power, Buck manipulates his victims into participating in his sexual fetishes. These fetishes include supplying and personally administering dangerously large doses of narcotics to his victims...Not deterred by the senseless deaths of Moore and Dean, the defendant nearly killed a third victim last week," wrote the state. In fact, his arrest in this case has led to charges being filed against him for his role in Gemmel Moore's death. If convicted he faces up to 20 years in prison.
3. The Charges Now
After this latest incident, Buck was arrested and charged with battery causing serious injury, administering methamphetamine and maintaining a drug house — not exactly easy charges to shirk. Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey has expressed serious concerns about the charges made in this case. She added that she believes that Buck deliberately seeks out people whose circumstances make them more likely to be susceptible to predators. According to the prosecutors, Buck has made it a habit to lure men to his home with offers of a roof over their heads, drugs and even cash.
4. What Happened This Time
According to the court documents, John Doe went with Buck to his apartment on the evening of September 4th. While they were there, the court alleges that Buck "personally and deliberately" gave Doe a very large dose of methamphetamine. When Doe became concerned that he was about to experience a serious drug overdose he left Buck's residence and ran to get medical help. But that wasn't the only time they met. On September 11th, Doe came back to Buck's home where he was given two more very large doses of methamphetamine, say the prosecutors.
5. The Continuing Investigation
According to Doe, Buck tried to brush aside his requests for medical attention. When he tried to call from Buck's house, Buck stopped him from doing so. Eventually, according to Doe, he was able to flee Buck's residence and managed to call 911 from a nearby gas station and was taken to a hospital for treatment. Investigators who were called to the scene reportedly found countless photographs of men in compromising positions in Buck's possession. According to prosecutors, "The full scope of his consistent malicious behavior is unknown. It is only a matter of time before another one of these vulnerable young men dies of an overdose.”
6. The Public Perception Of Buck
Buck is a known entity in West Hollywood. In 2007, he ran for West Hollywood City Council. Buck was a part of "Save West Hollywood" group of campaigners who focused on ending overdevelopment in the area. Buck did not win the seat for which he ran. Steve Martin, a former councilman and someone who traveled in the same circles as Buck discussed with the L.A. Times running into the man at a local grocery store. “He just seemed really anxious to talk. He acknowledged that there were legal issues pending, so he couldn’t say much. But he looked really healthy... He denied any drug use," said Martin before adding that Buck has burned most of his bridges in the community.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime.