On July 27, a federal jury convicted wealthy California political donor Ed Buck, 66, on charges he injected gay men with methamphetamine in exchange for sex, leading to two deaths and other overdoses, CBS News reported.
Buck was found guilty of all nine felony counts in federal court, which could lead to a life sentence. The verdict came exactly four years after one of the victims, 26-year-old Gemmel Moore, was found dead of an overdose in Buck's West Hollywood apartment.
Prosecutors alleged Buck would pay men experiencing homelessnessfrequently, Black mento come to his apartment and use drugs and engage in sexual acts, oftentimes tied to his fetish for injecting others with meth, KTLA.com reported. The delay in prosecuting Buck after the fatal overdose of Moore in 2017 led to much criticism of then-District Attorney Jackie Lacey, and a federal judge indicated in a ruling that criminal charges could have been brought against Buck in 2017.
A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
Interestingly, Buck was represented by Christopher Darden, best known for being part of the prosecution team in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson.