‘Ketamine Queen’ and 2 doctors among those charged in Matthew Perry's overdose death

Five people are facing federal charges in connection with the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry, who died last year from an overdose of ketamine, authorities announced Thursday in Los Angeles.

The five defendants include two doctors and Perry's live-in personal assistant, who authorities said supplied the drug illegally in order to profit off the actor, whose struggles with addiction were well known.

"These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves," U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said at a news conference. "They knew what they were doing was wrong. They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr. Perry, but they did it anyways.

"In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr. Perry than caring for his wellbeing."

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The defendants and the charges

United States Attorney Martin Estrada, at lectern, takes questions from the media after announcing court filings related to the death of actor Matthew Perry in Los Angeles on Thursday,

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Damian Dovarganes

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AP

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Two defendants were arrested Thursday and charged in an 18-count indictment, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The lead defendants are:

• Jasveen Sangha, 41, known as “The Ketamine Queen,” of North Hollywood
• Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 42, known as “Dr. P,” of Santa Monica

Both face charges that include conspiracy to distribute ketamine, a form of anesthesia. Sangha was also charged with maintaining a drug-involved premises, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and distribution of ketamine.

They were arraigned Thursday in U.S. District Court in downtown L.A. Both pleaded not guilty.

If convicted, Sangha faces life in federal prison. Plasencia faces a maximum of 120 years.

The other defendants who have been charged include Eric Fleming, 54, of Hawthorne, Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, of Toluca Lake, and Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, of San Diego.

The backstory

Perry was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28. Later, the L.A. County medical examiner determined the cause was “acute effects of ketamine,” a controlled substance that has legitimate medical uses but is often used illegally.

In the U.S., most forms of ketamine are only approved for use as an anesthesia. A nasal spray version is approved for treatment of depression, but only in a certified medical setting, according to Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

"Here, Matthew Perry sought treatment for depression and anxiety and went to a local clinic where he became addicted to intravenous ketamine," Milgram said at the news conference. "When clinic doctors refused to increase his dosage, he turned to unscrupulous doctors who looked at Perry as as a way to make quick money."

The autopsy report found that Perry had ketamine infusion therapy less than two weeks before his death. However, the medical examiner determined the “high levels” in his system at the time of death could not have been from those treatments.

Other factors cited included drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid use disorder. The medical examiner ruled Perry's death accidental.

Details on the charges

Estrada noted during the news conference that the investigation revealed Perry, who had sought help for addiction issues over many years, fell back into drug use in fall 2023.

According to the indictment, Plasencia learned of Perry's interest in ketamine and contacted Chavez, who had previously operated a ketamine clinic. Federal authorities said Plasencia intended to obtain the drug to sell it to the actor for profit.

Plasencia sent text messages to Chavez in which he talked about how much to charge Perry for the drugs, federal authorities said. One of those messages read: “I wonder how much this moron will pay” and in another he wrote that he wanted to be Perry's "go-to" source for drugs, according to prosecutors.

In September and October of last year, Plasencia supplied the ketamine to Perry and Iwamasa, the actor's personal assistant, and taught the latter how to inject Perry with ketamine, federal authorities said. Plasencia is also accused of leaving vials of ketamine with Iwamasa, personally injecting ketamine into Perry without proper safety equipment — including once in a Long Beach parking lot — and failing to monitor Perry after he injected him with the drug.

Over the course of those two months, the defendants distributed approximately 20 vials of ketamine to Perry in exchange for $55,000 in cash, Estrada said.

The U.S. attorney said Sangha sold vials of ketamine to Perry last year for $11,000 in cash, and she worked with a broker — Fleming — and Iwamasa to distribute the drug. Sangha allegedly sold the batch of ketamine that resulted in Perry's death on Oct. 28.

Estrada said investigators later searched Sangha's home and found what amounted to "a drug-selling emporium," containing 80 vials of ketamine, pills containing methamphetamine, cocaine and bottles of prescription drugs including Xanax.

According to Estrada, investigators learned Sangha sold drugs to another customer, Cody McLaury, in August 2019 and he died the same day. A family member told Sangha later that the cause of death was ketamine, the prosecutor said.

Federal prosecutors have also filed charges against Sangha in connection with McLaury's death.

"By filing these extensive and serious charges, we are sending a clear message: If you are in the business of selling dangerous drugs, we will hold you accountable for the deaths that you cause," Estrada said.

Guilty pleas from some defendants

Fleming pleaded guilty last week to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Prosecutors said he admitted in court documents that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry.

Iwamasa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. Authorities said he admitted he repeatedly injected Perry with ketamine, even though he didn't have any medical training. He gave multiple injections to Perry the day he died.

Prosecutors said Chavez agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. They said he admitted in his plea agreement that he sold the drug to Plasencia and used the name of a former patient to obtain ketamine from a wholesale distributor.

Iwamasa and Fleming face up to 15 years and 25 years, respectively, when they are sentenced in federal court.

Chavez is expected to face up to 10 years in federal prison.