Ed Buck, a prominent Democratic party donor and LGBTQ political activist, was convicted on Tuesday of providing fatal doses of methamphetamine to two men who were found dead in his Los Angeles apartment more than a year apart.
Ed Buck 66, in addition to two counts of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death, was also found guilty of four counts of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of maintaining drug-involved premises, and two counts of enticement to travel in interstate commerce for prostitution.
The verdict against Ed Buck came exactly four years after one of the victims, 26-year-old Gemmel Moore, died of a meth overdose at Buck’s West Hollywood home.
Timothy Dean, 55, was discovered dead of an apparent overdose at the same residence 17 months later on January 7, 2019.
According to prosecutors, Ed Buck solicited men at his apartment by offering them drugs and money in exchange for sexual activities, sometimes personally injecting them with meth without their consent.
Buck injected victims with more narcotics than they expected on occasions, while other times gave them drugs to the point of unconsciousness, the Department of Justice said in news a release on Tuesday.
The release read: “Buck exerted power and control over his victims, typically targeting individuals who were destitute, homeless or struggling with drug addiction. He exploited the wealth and power balance between them by offering his victims money to use drugs and to let Buck inject them with narcotics.”
Prosecutors also said that Buck solicited some of his victims from outside of California for the purpose of prostitution.
Buck was arrested in September 2019 after a 37-year-old man nearly died of a drug overdose while engaging in illicit activities at Buck’s home.
Prosecutors claimed that Buck “refused to render aid” to the man referred to as only Joe Doe and the victim had to leave the apartment to call 911 at a nearby gas station for medical treatment. Doe survived the overdose.
For his charges, Buck is facing 20 years to life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
“Today is bittersweet,” Moore’s mother LaTisha Nixon said after the verdict, according to USA Today. “We got victory today.”