Democratic mega-donor Ed Buck was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his role in the overdose deaths of two men at his apartment in West Hollywood, California.
Last year, Buck was found guilty of plying men with drugs during sexual encounters, which led to the overdose deaths of two black men – Gemelle Moore and Timothy Dean.
Buck, 67, lured vulnerable black men – many suffering from homelessness, addiction, and/or poverty – to his home for sex sessions and to inject them with methamphetamine and drug them with sedatives such as gamma hydroxybutyric acid and clonazepam, federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. Buck reportedly used social media sites, dating websites, escort services, and referrals from prior victims to find new men. Buck allegedly would even pay a finder’s fee for referrals.
“Prosecutors allege that Buck caused the deaths as a result of his ‘fetish’ for injecting men with increasing doses of methamphetamine until they became comatose,” KABC-TV reported.
The Los Angeles Times reported, “For nearly a decade, the wealthy, white Buck lured young black men at the lowest points in their lives — homeless, addicted, resorting to subsistence-level sex work — into what he called ‘party and play’ sessions.”
