Photo: Damian Dovarganes/AP/Shutterstock
Prominent Los Angeles Democratic party donor and LGBTQ political activist Ed Buck has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after the meth overdose deaths of two men.
U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder sentenced Buck, 67, on Thursday “for providing fatal doses of methamphetamine to [Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean] who died at his apartment after he injected them with the drug,” theJustice Departmentannounced.
Buck’s lawyer Mark Werksman tells PEOPLE they plan to appeal the ruling.
“The imposition of a life sentence against Mr. Buck completes the tragedy of this case. He should not have been prosecuted or convicted of these charges in the first place. We will appeal this conviction and this excessive sentence and continue to seek justice for Mr. Buck,” Werksman says.
A restitution hearing is set for May 16, the Justice Department said.
Gemmel Moore.
Last July, Buck was convicted of two counts of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death, 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, according to the Justice Department. His trial lasted nine days.
During his so-called “party-and-play sessions” from 2011 to September 2019, “Buck solicited men – some of whom were homeless or struggling with drug addiction – to consume narcotics that he provided and perform sexual activities at his apartment,” which prosecutors deemed “a lethal and unchecked pattern of reckless disregard for human life,” the Justice Department said.
Buck found his victims on social media, dating websites, and even word of mouth from other victims, giving a finder’s fee to those who gave references. The businessman would then give out drugs like methamphetamine, GHB (a.k.a. the ‘date rape’ drug) and clonazepam, and sometimes “injected victims with drugs intravenously in a practice known as “slamming.” He also sexually assaulted the victims once they lost consciousness, per the Justice Department.
Timothy Dean.Facebook
His “party-and-play fetish turned lethal” when Gemmel Moore died of a methamphetamine overdose on July 27, 2017, and Timothy Dean died on Jan. 7, 2019, after Buck gave him a fatal dose of methamphetamine. Still, Buck continued to give drugs to more people and lured victims from other states to go to California to take part in prostitution through his “party-and-play” events. He was ultimately arrested in Sept. 2019, the Justice Department said.
“This defendant preyed upon vulnerable victims – men who were drug-dependent and often without homes – to feed an obsession that led to death and misery,” said United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison, per the Justice Department.
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Kristi K. Johnson, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office added that “Buck preyed on young black males who were vulnerable, isolated and were often fighting addiction.”
source: people.com
