Ed Buck, the 63-year-old Democratic political donor infamous for helping young black men overdose on meth in his West Hollywood home, is now accused of blackmail and human trafficking, recent court documents reveal.
The Daily Beast reports that LaTisha Nixon, mother of Gemmel Moore, “a 26-year-old black man who died in Buck’s West Hollywood apartment on July 27, 2017,” has added two new charges to the 12-counts in the wrongful death suit she filed against Buck: “human trafficking and distribution of private sexually explicit materials” (that is, images of her son).
Nixon claims that because Buck helped transport her son from his Texas home to Buck’s Los Angeles pad for “commercial sex acts,” he’s basically a human trafficker. She’s also claiming that “Buck violated Moore’s right to privacy by distributing a sexually explicit video recording of him to one of several unnamed defendants in April of 2019.”
Nixon’s lawyers came up with the second charge after interviewing about a dozen other young black men who claimed that Buck had distributed explicit photos and videos of Moore and other unnamed individuals over the years.
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The suit also accuses L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey and Deputy District Attorney Craig Hum of racial discrimination for failing to prosecute a criminal case against Buck after Moore’s death, thereby “refusing to impartially prosecute white people for their felonious criminal acts against black victims.” Lacey has denied the accusations.
However, local activist Jasmyne Cannick says other young black men who did drugs with Buck would attempt to file police reports at the Sheriff’s Department, only to be turned away. Both Moore and Dean’s deaths were ruled as “accidental overdoses” by the police.
Related: “You should be ashamed!” Ed Buck flips out when asked about two men who died inside his home
Buck came under scrutiny after Moore’s death and the death of a 55-year-old man named Timothy Dean under similar circumstances. Other men claimed that Buck would cruise WeHo looking for young black men and offering them money to take large amounts of meth —Buck would allegedly watch and take photos while getting turned on.
When police investigated Buck’s home, they reportedly found no drugs or paraphernalia, and yet The Daily Beast says that Moore’s body was found next to “multiple syringes with brown residue, a scale, several lighters and torches, a straw with white residue and burn marks, plastic bags with whiter powdery residue and a clear plastic bag containing a crystal-like substance.”
Adam
This is an awful story, and I hope Ms. Nixon gets justice for her son. However, your headline is misleading. “Charges” can only be brought by the state. What Ms. Nixon has added to her lawsuit are technically known as additional “complaints.”
Cam
This guy did multiple things, I”m curious why you are using the FOX News wording that just calls him “Democratic Donor”.?
Gay Veteran
I think it’s worth noting. No reflection on democrats as a whole… let’s us know what kind of trash we’re dealing with. Just another rich white gay who only cares about self interest, they come in democrat and republican.
poundmetoo
@ bet Yae he reminds me of that rich black gay actor Jussie Smollett!
Kangol2
@Cam, I hear you. But Ed Buck has been a stalwart Democratic donor. At times Dems do awful crap too, and it’s probably the case that Buck has avoided greater scrutiny because of his ties to and support for powerful people in LA and California, which are heavily Democratic.
curiobi
@poundmetoo, hey idiot, Jussie has not been accused relating to death or drugs, whatever he did or did not do is not related to this at all so just stop your usual racist troll baiting. We are talking about Ed here, who comes across as shady and racist as you do.
okiloki
In another article it stated he donated something like $2000 to Democrats. That hardly makes him a big shot “democratic donor” the way some of the news media tries to portray him as.
Gay Veteran
Clearly black gay men are expendable to this guy… and to share video years after Gemmel’s death. Disgusting!!!
Vince
Human trafficking? You gotta be shittin me. That’s got to be at Loosest translation of human trafficking that I’ve ever heard. Also as I recalled Moore would go out and find guys and film them getting high for bucks pleasure. Kind of sounds like he was in on it as well.
These guys loved every bit of it. Well till they OD’d of coarse. They were no victims.
inbama
It seems sex charges are increasing in severity while decreasing in meaning.
Polaro
This is not anywhere near what human trafficking is.
Jared MacBride
Seem to be an awful lot of illegal drugs and dead people in the guy’s house. Enough to put most people in jail for sure.
Ronbo
Cash wealth buys more than just “things” in a capitalist-centric society. The love of money empowers this small circle of people to violate society’s rules with impunity.
Until extreme wealth and power are seen as a red-flag of corruption, the capitalists will be able to suppress their humanity. Now they are attacking soooosialism… as if Social Security and Medicare are evil!?!
The biggest “tell” is in the prosecutors office where this activity is “fixed”. Wealth, power and fear often lead prosecutors to NOT charge these people with crimes committed; but rather, they charge the wealthy with crimes NOT committed… so that the perp can walk away and claim “innocence”.