New Charges Allege Ed Buck Enticed 26-Year-Old Man To Travel To LA Area To Engage In Prostitution Before Man's Overdose Death
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A federal grand jury Tuesday returned an indictment charging former prominent Democratic donor Ed Buck with four additional felonies, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.
The four additional counts include one charge alleging that Buck knowingly enticed 26-year-old Gemmel Moore to travel to the Los Angeles area to engage in prostitution and that he further allegedly provided methamphetamine to Moore, who overdosed on the drug and died on July 27, 2017.
Buck has also been 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.
Buck, 65, was arrested last September after being charged in the United States District Court with providing methamphetamine to a man who died after receiving the drug intravenously. The five-count indictment alleged that Buck "engaged in a pattern of soliciting men to consume drugs that Buck provided and perform sexual acts at Buck's apartment."
He is alleged to have solicited victims on social media platforms, including a gay dating website, and used a recruiter to scout and proposition men.
Buck now faces nine federal charges in addition to charges filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office that include allegations that he was operating a drug house.
Each of the federal charges alleging distribution of narcotics resulting in death carry mandatory minimum sentences of 20 years in federal prison and a maximum penalty of life without parole, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The four new charges carry a statutory maximum sentence of 60 years in federal prison.
Buck is currently being held in federal custody without bond. He is expected to be arraigned on the new charges in the coming weeks and is scheduled to go to trial on the initial federal charges Jan. 19, 2021.