Yesterday, The Root reported that Ed Buck, a prominent white Democratic donor, was being charged with battery causing serious injury, administering methamphetamine, and maintaining a drug house—all felonies—after a third black man suffered a drug overdose in his home.
Less than 48 hours later comes the news that after somehow eluding culpability for the drug-related deaths of Gemmel Moore, 26, and Timothy Dean, 55—both of whom overdosed in Buck’s West Hollywood home—the man who has poured millions into major Democratic campaigns will finally face federal charges in Los Angeles.
From the Los Angeles Times:
Democratic donor Ed Buck will face federal criminal charges in connection with allegations that he lured several men to his West Hollywood home and injected them with drugs in recent years, leading to two deaths, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times.
Buck will be charged with distributing methamphetamine, which resulted in a death, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case. The charge is linked to the situation that first placed Buck under scrutiny — the 2017 death of Gemmel Moore, a law enforcement source said.
Moore’s death was initially ruled to be an accident and Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies said they found nothing suspicious. The case was reopened the next month when Moore’s mother and friends questioned whether the drugs that killed him were self-administered.
Buck is being accused of running a drug house, in which he preys on young, queer black men and offers them drugs, money, and shelter in exchange for sexual favors. He’s the textbook definition of a predator and Twitter had plenty to say on the matter once the news began to circulate:
Last year, L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey declined to pursue charges against Buck, citing insufficient evidence. But many believe that if his victims had been white, or if his political ties didn’t trace back to the likes of Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, or Barack Obama, the homicide investigation would’ve yielded a different outcome.
“Like America, the LGBTQ community is divided along racial lines,” activist Jasmyne Cannick told LA Times earlier this week. “And that is reflected in West Hollywood. It is still not as welcoming to people of color and specifically those who are black. It took outside forces to bring change.”
Buck’s attorney, Seymour Amster, has yet to publicly comment on the matter but previously described his client as a man with a “heart of gold” who merely opened his home to the less fortunate.
I’m sure Buck’s victims would beg to differ.