In the ongoing wrongful death civil lawsuit against wealthy Democratic donor Ed Buck, new details have emerged from a deposition by his former driver, Lauren Beard-Ansley, also known as Mr. Compton. The lawsuit, filed by the family of Gemmel Moore, who died in 2017 of a methamphetamine overdose in Buck’s West Hollywood apartment, aims to hold the prominent political donor accountable for Moore’s tragic death. In a deposition recently obtained, Mr. Compton provided alarming details about his close association with Ed Buck. Mr. Compton, who admitted to selling drugs to Buck and often serving as his driver, shed light on Buck’s political activities and his involvement in the tragic events leading up to Moore’s death.
Pusherman
According to his testimony, Mr. Compton first met Ed Buck in 2010 or 2011, when Buck was out walking his dog in Hollywood. Buck and Mr. Compton struck up a conversation that led to a long and complicated relationship.
“He [Buck] was out walking his dog, and at that point in my life, okay, I was hustling,” Mr. Compton recalled in his deposition.
Over time, what began as a chance meeting evolved into Mr. Compton providing drugs to Buck and eventually becoming his driver and courier for various tasks, including picking up friends for Buck’s parties and delivering political donations.
In his deposition, Mr. Compton explained that his decision to sell drugs in Hollywood rather than his hometown of Compton was purely strategic and based on financial necessity. After suffering a broken neck and being left without disability or any form of assistance, he turned to selling drugs to survive.
Mr. Compton clarified that he had been inside Ed Buck’s West Hollywood apartment numerous times.
“Inside his apartment, well over – like I said, over the years, well over – well over 300 times,” Mr. Compton stated.
These visits, which spanned several years, were primarily for drug transactions, but he also frequently picked up or dropped off people and stayed to observe the situation. He said that sometimes he’d hang around just to make sure things didn’t go sideways.
During his deposition, Mr. Compton also acknowledged the red toolbox that was at the center of Buck’s criminal trial.
“He had a five-foot tall mechanic toolbox with a lock on it, okay, like what you would see when you go down to your local — when you go down to a real mechanic with all the different shelves and stuff and locks on the different drawers, Mr. Compton explained.
He continued, “And inside of that — and inside of that mechanic chest is where he kept all his little party toys.”
Party toys was a reference to drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Delivering Cash Political Donations
During his testimony Mr. Compton revealed that Buck had deep ties to prominent politicians, including Congressmembers Adam Schiff and Ted Lieu. Mr. Compton, acting as a courier for Buck, regularly delivered cash political donations to political figures at Buck’s request. Buck, who was heavily involved in the political scene, trusted Mr. Compton to drop off these cash donations, ensuring the amounts were accurate before delivery.
“I know donation money that I dropped off. I know that was actual donation money because as a matter of me taking cash, I need to have that counted out in front of me,” Mr. Compton testified.
Mr. Compton says that he never opened the envelopes he was given to deliver.
“Well, I mean, I never opened it. If it’s in an envelope, I don’t open it. If it’s a package, I don’t open it. As a courier you do not open your package. You do not open packages. You do not inspect packages. Okay. As a courier your job is to pick up at Point A and drop off at Point B, and that’s what I did.”
As a trusted courier, Mr. Compton was clear that while he never opened political materials or packages, he ensured any cash he handled was properly accounted for.
“So if it gets to the other end and it says it’s one dollar short, then that’s on me,” he added. “Therefore, I need to know. If you say you’re sending “X” amount of dollars, I need to have that counted out in front of me because that’s what the — that’s what your receiver will be counting out.”
Picking Up Gemmel Moore From Airport
Mr. Compton’s testimony also revealed his direct involvement in the events of July 27, 2017—the day Gemmel Moore died. He stated that Buck had paid him to pick up Moore from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and bring him to Buck’s West Hollywood apartment. Mr. Compton described how Buck coordinated the pick-up, relaying Moore’s attire so Mr. Compton could identify him.
“He [Moore] told Buck what he would be — what he was wearing, okay, and then Buck relayed to me,” Mr. Compton explained.
The ride from LAX to Buck’s apartment took about 30 to 40 minutes, during which time Mr. Mr. Compton and Moore engaged in light conversation.
“Nothing — nothing really major or specific,” Mr. Compton said. “Okay. Just small talk, just like what you would general — the general talk you would do with your cab driver or your Uber driver.”
He said Moore was from Texas and had spent time in Los Angeles before and ran in similar circles.
Once at Buck’s apartment, Mr. Compton stayed for about 30 minutes to an hour, a routine he often followed whenever Buck had guests over, particularly to observe the situation. He described this as “feeling out” the atmosphere to ensure things didn’t escalate. “I would basically just play as a — as an unofficial security,” Mr. Compton added.
Civil Trial Set for November
A deposition is a sworn testimony given by a witness outside of court, typically before a trial. It can be oral or written, and is recorded by a court reporter.
It remains unclear whether Mr. Compton and any of the politicians he delivered money to for Ed Buck will be called to testify in the upcoming wrongful death civil trial against Ed Buck.
Ed Buck was convicted in 2021 in the crystal meth overdose deaths of two Black gay men–Gemmel Moore in 2017 and the 2019 death of Timothy Dean. He was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison in 2022. Buck was convicted on nine charges–two counts of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death, four counts of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, and two counts of enticement to travel in interstate commerce for prostitution. He is currently awaiting a decision in his appeal to have his criminal case overturned. The Moore wrongful death civil trial is scheduled for November.
