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Democratic Party donor Ed Buck is charged with running a drug den after 2 men died of meth overdoses in his house

Sep 18, 2019, 18:38 IST

FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2010 file photo Ed Buck makes a campaign appearance for Meg Whitman, not shown, then a Republican candidate for governor of California, in Los Angeles. The prominent California Democratic donor, Buck, has been charged Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019, with running a drug house where two men died of overdoses. Prosecutors allege Buck provided the meth that killed two men who were found in his apartment in 2017 and this January.AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

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  • California Democratic donor Ed Buck was arrested Tuesday and charged with operating a drug den.
  • It happened after a man suffered a nonfatal meth overdose at his Los Angeles home.
  • Two other men have died of meth overdoses there, in 2017 and this January. Their families accused Buck of preying on gay, black men.
  • Since earlier this year, California Democrats have ostracized Buck and moved to return his money.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A prominent California Democratic Party donor, Edward Buck, was arrested on Tuesday night and charged with operating a drug den after a man overdosed in his West Hollywood home, officials said.

Buck, 65, who has donated to former President Barack Obama and former Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, is a well-known activist in California politics.

He is accused of injecting methamphetamine into a 37-year-old man identified as Joe Doe, on Sept. 11, who overdosed but lived, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

Two other men have died of overdoses in Buck's home - one in 2017, and one this January. Both of their deaths were caused by meth overdoses, prosecutors said in court documents viewed by CNN. Their families have accused Buck of preying on gay, black men.

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The mother of Gemmel Moore, the man who died in July 2017, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Buck after the LA County District Attorney declined to prosecute him. She alleged Buck injected her son with a lethal dose of crystal meth, according to CNN.

The death of Timothy Dean, in January, was ruled an accident, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff's department. Democrats and Democratic-aligned PACs swiftly moved to return his money after the incident.

Buck's attorney, Seymour Amster, told Fox News that he would not comment on the Tuesday arrest.

He was charged on Tuesday with one felony count each of battery causing serious injury, administering methamphetamine and maintaining a drug house, the DA's office said.

"I remain deeply concerned for the safety of people whose life circumstances may make them more vulnerable to criminal predators," Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement.

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"With this new evidence, I authorized the filing of criminal charges against Ed Buck."

Neither a representative with the DA's office nor the Los Angeles police were available early Wednesday for further comment.

Buck was in custody overnight with a court arraignment set for Wednesday, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors are recommending bail be set at $4 million. If convicted as charged, Buck faces a possible maximum sentence of five years and eight months in state prison.

The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

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