Prominent Democratic donor and LGBTQ activist Ed Buck has been accused of running a drug den out of his West Hollywood home.
Buck was arrested Tuesday after a third man overdosed in his home. He has been charged with three felony counts: battery causing serious injury, administering methamphetamine, and maintaining a drug house.
Who is Ed Buck?
Buck is perhaps best known for donating to Democratic politicians and causes and his fervent support of LGBTQ and animal rights.
A former model, Buck reportedly made his millions after selling his Arizona business in his early 30s. After making his way to Southern California, the Los Angeles Times reports that he was the “subject of several requests for restraining orders,” including by a psychotherapist who claimed that Buck “seemed to want amphetamines.”
In later years, Buck ran unsuccessfully for West Hollywood City Council in 2007 and reportedly played a prominent role in the city’s decision to ban fur in 2011. Since 2009, Buck has donated more than $520,000 to local, state, and federal campaigns.
Why was Buck charged?
The most recent reported overdose occurred on September 11. The man had reportedly gone to Buck’s house a week earlier, on September 4, at which time Buck “personally and deliberately” administered a large dose of methamphetamine. Fearing an overdose, the man left to get medical help, and returned on September 11, according to officials.
That’s when officials say Buck allegedly injected him once again with a large quantity of methamphetamine, and, suffering an overdose, the man again fled the apartment to get help. However, this man is the third to have overdosed on methamphetamines at Buck’s home since 2017. The other two men died.
The first man died in July 2017. The death was ruled an accidental overdose, with prosecutors claiming there was insufficient evidence to press charges against Buck.
The second man died in January of this year. The death was also ruled accidental, although the autopsy report showed that he died at least 15 minutes before 911 was called.
While Buck was not charged with the earlier overdose deaths, the mother of one of the victims had filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Buck. With the new evidence from the third man’s overdose, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey decided to “authorize the filing of criminal charges against Ed Buck.”
Prosecutors have recommended that bail be set at $4 million. In their filing, they called Buck a “violent, dangerous sexual predator,” claiming that he “mainly preys on men made vulnerable by addiction and homelessness.”
“From his home, in a position of power, Buck manipulates his victims into participating in his sexual fetishes,” they wrote. “These fetishes include supplying and personally administering dangerously large doses of narcotics to his victims.”
If convicted, Buck could face a maximum sentence of five years and eight months in state prison.
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