The Latest: Activist charged in overdose appears in court
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on a federal charge against political activist Ed Buck in a drug death at his Los Angeles-area home (all times local):
5:10 p.m.
Ed Buck appeared in federal court after being charged in connection with a deadly drug overdose at his Los Angeles area home, but the political activist was not asked to enter a plea.
The judge on Thursday set a detention hearing for Sept. 26. Buck will remain in custody until then.
Federal prosecutors will ask that the 65-year-old be held without bail pending trial.
Buck is charged with distributing meth resulting in the death of Gemmel Moore. The complaint details his apparent fetish to inject men with meth during paid sexual encounters.
Buck was represented in court by Deputy Federal Public Defender Claire Simonich. Simonich did not return an email seeking comment.
State prosecutors charged the wealthy Democratic donor this week with causing the overdose of another man who escaped from his home this month.
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2:55 p.m.
Federal prosecutors will ask a judge to hold political activist Ed Buck without bond pending his trial on charges connected to a drug death at his Los Angeles-area home.
U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna on Thursday called the 65-year-old Democratic donor and gay activist a risk to the public, saying he's preyed on homeless men and other disadvantaged people.
Buck has been charged with distributing meth resulting in the death of Gemmel Moore, who overdosed at Buck's West Hollywood home.
Prosecutors say Buck brought Moore there with the intention of shooting him up with meth and having sex with him. Another man died of an overdose at the home in January.
Hanna says investigators have identified at least 10 other men who had sex with Buck after he gave them drugs.
An email seeking comment from Buck's lawyer wasn't immediately returned.
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2:10 p.m.
A federal criminal complaint charging California political activist Ed Buck with contributing to the overdose death of a man in 2017 details multiple instances when he injected men with drugs against their wishes.
The complaint announced Thursday charging Buck with distributing methamphetamine resulting in a death offers salacious details of his apparent fetish to inject men with meth during paid sexual encounters.
An affidavit filed by a Drug Enforcement Administration agent says on some occasions that Buck rejected a partner's refusal to take drugs and would inject them himself.
Buck is charged in the overdose death of Gemmel Moore at his West Hollywood home.
Prosecutors say Buck continued to solicit men for sex and drug use even after another man died at his home in January.
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12:54 p.m.
A law enforcement official says political activist Ed Buck will face a federal charge in a drug death at his Los Angeles-area home.
The official with knowledge of the investigation said Thursday that Buck will be charged with distributing meth resulting in the death of Gemmel Moore.
The official wasn't authorized to speak publicly and insisted on anonymity.
Moore died at the 65-year-old gay activist's West Hollywood home in 2017. Another man died of an overdose there last year.
State prosecutors charged the wealthy and influential Democratic donor this week with causing the overdose of another man who escaped from his home this month.
State prosecutors say Buck is a violent sexual predator and are seeking $4 million bail.
An email seeking comment from Buck's lawyer was not immediately returned.
