Written by Andrew Dalston
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A year ago, federal officials declared that five individuals were charged in relation to Matthew Perry’s death from a ketamine overdose.
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The five, which now includes two doctors, an old acquaintance, and the Friends star’s personal assistant, have all decided to enter guilty pleas.
Prosecutors claim that Jasveen Sangha, a dealer known as the “Ketamine Queen,” was the fifth and last defendant to strike a settlement and avoid going to trial on Monday.
A glance at each defendant is provided here.
In the days leading up to Perry’s death on October 23, 2023, Sangha sold him the fatal dosage of ketamine, as she acknowledged in her plea deal.
Sangha, 42, was born in Britain, grew up in the United States, and holds dual citizenship. Prior to her indictment last year, her social media accounts featured pictures of her in upscale settings with famous people from Spain, Japan, and Dubai, as well as her two homes in London and Los Angeles.
According to the prosecution, she operated a narcotics operation out of her San Fernando Valley condominium in Los Angeles for at least five years, which provided the funds for her lifestyle.
They claim that she took advantage of every chance to advertise that she was known to clients and others as the “Ketamine Queen” and positioned herself as a famous drug dealer with premium products. The title has been mocked by her attorneys as a media-friendly nickname.
After graduating from college at the University of California, Irvine in 2005, Sangha went on to work at Merrill Lynch after attending high school in Calabasas, California, which is arguably better known for being the home of the Kansasians. Later, she graduated with an MBA from London’s Hult International Business School.
Through her co-defendant, Erik Fleming, and Perry’s acquaintance, she was linked to Perry.
Authorities claimed to have discovered significant quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, and ketamine during a raid on her flat in March 2024. After being taken into custody, she was freed on bond.
She was charged with Perry’s murder once more in August 2024, and she has been detained without bail ever since.
CHARGES: Three charges of ketamine distribution, one count of ketamine distribution that causes death or serious injury, and one offense of keeping a drug-related establishment.
SENTENCING: After she shows up in court to formally alter her plea, a judge will determine her sentence in the upcoming months. She faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in jail.
WHAT THEY SAID: Mark Geragos, Sangha’s attorney, claims that she is accepting responsibility for her acts.
According to his plea deal, Iwamasa, Perry’s live-in personal aide, was directly involved in the actor’s unlawful ketamine use by serving as his drug courier and administering injections. Iwamasa, 60, discovered Perry dead in his Pacific Palisades home’s hot tub one day after administering many injections to him.
As prosecutors attempted to utilize him as a crucial witness against other defendants, he would be the first to come to an agreement with them.
Iwamasa said that he collaborated with other defendants, including Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who instructed him on how to administer the injections to Perry, in order to obtain ketamine on his behalf.
Iwamasa texted Plasencia, “I found the sweet spot, but trying different places led to running out.”
In his plea agreement, Iwamasa admitted to injecting Perry six to eight times a day in the final days of his life.
CHARGE: Conspiracy to distribute ketamine that causes death, one count.
SENTENCING: He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail and is set to be sentenced on November 19.
WHAT THEY SAID: Requests for comment from Iwamasa’s lawyers have not been answered.
How much will this idiot pay, I wonder?
According to a plea deal in which the doctor acknowledged providing 20 vials of ketamine to the actor in the weeks prior to his death, Plasencia texted the colleague physician after learning that Perry wanted to be unlawfully given the drug.
One of the two primary targets of the prosecution, Plasencia, a 43-year-old physician from the Los Angeles area who is known to his patients as Dr. P, was on the verge of a combined trial with Sangha when he reached the plea deal in June.
Court documents indicate that Perry was linked to Plasencia via a different patient. As an off-label but growingly popular usage of the surgical anesthetic, Perry had been lawfully receiving ketamine from his usual physician to treat depression. The actor, however, want more.
Even though Perry froze and his blood pressure soared after just one injection, Plasencia acknowledged that he personally injected Perry with some of the first vials he gave and left others for Iwamasa to administer.
Prior to the Perry case, Plasencia had not faced any medical disciplinary measures and had graduated from UCLA’s medical school in 2010.
Since his indictment, he has been released on bond. According to his attorneys, he looks after a kid.
Even after his indictment, Plasencia was allowed to continue practicing medicine, but he was not allowed to administer harmful drugs and had to tell patients about the charges against him. According to his attorneys, he now plans to willingly give up his practicing license.
CHARGES: Ketamine distribution on four counts.
SENTENCING: He might receive a term of up to 40 years in jail and is set to be sentenced on December 3.
WHAT THEY SAID: According to his attorneys, he is deeply sorry for the choices he made about Matthew Perry’s treatment while giving him ketamine.
According to his plea deal, Perry’s pal Fleming, 55, found out that the star was looking for ketamine from a common friend.
In text conversations, he informed Iwamasa that he had a supplier called the Ketamine Queen, who he claimed only dealt with celebrities and the wealthy, and that her substance was fantastic.
Prosecutors claim that Fleming gave Perry 50 vials of Sangha’s ketamine in total, 25 of which were sold to the actor for a total of $6,000 four days prior to his passing.
CHARGE: One count of ketamine distribution leading to death.
SENTENCING: He faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in jail and is set to be sentenced on November 12.
WHAT THEY SAID: The attorneys for Fleming have refrained from commenting.
According to their plea deals, Plasencia sold Perry the doses from Chavez, a physician in San Diego who operated a ketamine clinic.
Chavez acknowledged that he had obtained the ketamine under false pretenses from a wholesale dealer.
In 2004, Chavez, now 55, received his medical degree from UCLA. His medical license has been turned in.
CHARGE: Conspiracy to distribute ketamine on one count.
SENTENCING: On September 17, he is expected to be the first defendant to receive a sentence. He might be imprisoned for ten years.
WHAT THEY SAID: According to his attorney, he is deeply sorry, has taken responsibility, and has been making every effort to make amends.
Kaitlyn Huamani, a former journalist for the Associated Press, provided reporting.
This story was initially published on August 15, 2024.
