Los Angeles Times

Why did it take so long to arrest Democratic donor Ed Buck despite so many red flags?

LOS ANGELES - After a man was found dead inside the West Hollywood home of Democratic donor Ed Buck in 2017, authorities quickly had reason to believe the case was more complex than a drug overdose.

Los Angeles County sheriff's detectives found nearly two grams of methamphetamine, syringes and drug paraphernalia throughout the residence. The dead man, Gemmel Moore, had written diary entries in which he claimed Buck got him addicted to meth.

In the weeks that followed, as activists from the black and LGBTQ communities contended that Buck was a dangerous predator, two more men came forward and told investigators Buck had pumped methamphetamine into their bodies against their will, court records show. A West Hollywood councilwoman said she, too, tried to urge the Los Angeles County district attorney's office to take the stories of Buck's alleged victims seriously.

But Buck was not arrested until last month, when local prosecutors charged him with operating a drug den. Two days later, federal prosecutors accused

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