WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Tuesday, July 27, the United States Department of Justice announced that Edward Buck, 66, of West Hollywood has been found guilty of nine felonies, including that he provided fatal doses of methamphetamine to two men who died after being injected with the drug.

Buck was found guilty of one count of maintaining drug-involved premises, two counts of enticement to travel in interstate commerce for prostitution, two counts of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death, and four counts of distribution of methamphetamine.

Beginning in 2011 and continuing through September 2019, Buck engaged in a pattern soliciting men to consume narcotics that he provided and performed sexual activities at his apartment, also known as “party and play.” During these sessions, he distributed drugs, including methamphetamine, and in some instances, injected victims with drugs intravenously.

Buck solicited his victims in various ways, including dating and escort websites, social media platforms, or through referrals from his prior victims, which included individuals he hired to do other work for him, offering a finder’s fee.

He targeted individuals who were homeless, destitute, or struggling with drug addiction. Buck would prepare syringes containing methamphetamine, and sometimes personally inject the victims with or without their consent. Buck would also inject victims with more narcotics than they were expecting and sometimes he would inject victims while they were unconscious.

“If a victim was not interested in using drugs, or used less than Buck wanted him to use, Buck refused to pay the person or reduced the person’s pay. Ultimately, if a victim refused to use methamphetamine too many times, Buck would lose interest and would no longer hire the person to party and play,” authorities stated. “On two occasions, Buck’s party-and-play fetish turned lethal.”

Timothy Dean died on January 7, 2019, and Gemmel Moore died on July 27, 2017. Both victims suffered fatal overdoses in Buck’s apartment. Buck continued to distributing methamphetamine to additional victims, including a man who overdosed on two separate occasions inside his apartment, but survived after receiving immediate medical treatment.

Buck will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison.