Ed Buck Face Additional Charges Related to Prostitution
A federal grand jury today returned a superseding indictment
charging Edward Buck with four additional felonies, including that he allegedly
enticed victims – including a man who died at his West Hollywood apartment
after he administered drugs to him – to travel interstate to engage in
prostitution.
Buck, 65, was arrested in September 2019 after being charged
in United States District Court with providing methamphetamine to a man who
died after receiving the drug intravenously. Since that time, federal
authorities have continued to investigate Buck for additional crimes.
The four additional counts charged today – bringing the
total number of charges in this case to nine counts – include one count
alleging that Buck knowingly enticed 26-year-old Gemmel Moore to travel to the
Los Angeles area to engage in prostitution. Buck allegedly provided
methamphetamine to Moore, who overdosed on the drug and died on July 27, 2017.
Buck also is charged with another count of enticing another
man to travel with the intent of engaging in prostitution.
The superseding indictment also charges Buck with one count
of knowingly and intentionally distributing methamphetamine, and one count of
using his residence for the purpose of distributing narcotics such as
methamphetamine, and the sedatives gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and
clonazepam.
Last year, a federal grand jury returned a five-count
indictment charging that Buck “engaged in a pattern of soliciting men to
consume drugs that Buck provided and perform sexual acts at Buck’s apartment,”
which is a practice described as “party and play.” Buck allegedly solicited
victims on social media platforms, including a gay dating website, and used a
recruiter to scout and proposition men.
Once the men were at his apartment, Buck allegedly prepared
syringes containing methamphetamine, sometimes personally injecting the victims
with or without their consent, according to the indictment. Buck also allegedly
injected victims with more narcotics than they expected and sometimes injected
victims while they were unconscious.
Another victim, Timothy Dean also suffered a fatal overdose
in Buck’s apartment, on January 7, 2019, the indictment alleges.
Buck is scheduled to go to trial in this matter on January
19, 2021. His arraignment on the first superseding indictment is expected in
the coming weeks.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has
committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven
guilty in court.
Each of the charges alleging the distribution of narcotics
resulting in death carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal
prison and a maximum penalty of life without parole. The four new charges carry
a statutory maximum sentence of 60 years in federal prison.
Buck also faces charges, including operating a drug house, that
were filed last year by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Buck
is currently being held in federal custody without bond, and the federal case
is expected to proceed first.
The federal case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement
Administration, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI. The
investigation is being conducted with the support of the Organized Crime Drug
Enforcement Task Force.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States
Attorneys Chelsea C. Norell and Brittney M. Harris of the International
Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section.
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