Five people have been charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s accidental ketamine overdose death — including a live-in assistant and two medical doctors.
“[Our] investigation has revealed a broad, underground criminal network responsible for distributing large quantities of ketamine to Mr. Perry and others. This network included a live-in assistant, various go-betweens, two medical doctors and a major source of drug supply known as ‘The Ketamine Queen,’” E. Martin Estrada, United States Attorney for the Central District of California, confirmed in a Thursday press conference.
“We charged five defendants in this matter. These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. 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,” he continued. “In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr. Perry than caring for his wellbeing.”
The five individuals have been identified as Jasveen Sangha (Ketamine Queen), Salvador Plasencia (doctor), Mark Chavez (doctor), Kenneth Iwamasa (personal assistant) and Erik Fleming (acquaintance), according to legal documents obtained by TheWrap.
The “Friends” actor was found dead in his Los Angeles hot tub on Oct. 28, 2023. The medical examiner listed his primary cause of death as an overdose from acute effects of ketamine, though drowning and other factors contributed. Perry infamously struggled with addiction throughout years of his career and was open about his recovery process.
“The investigation revealed that in the fall of 2023, Mr. Perry fell back into addiction and these defendants took advantage to profit for themselves,” Estrada shared on Thursday.
“Over two months, from September to October 2023, they distributed approximately 20 vials of ketamine to Mr. Perry in exchange for $55,000 in cash,” he revealed. “Defendant Plasencia saw this as an opportunity to profit off of Mr. Perry. He wrote in a text message in September 2023, ‘I wonder how much this moron will pay.’”
Perry’s personal assistant Iwamasa admitted to “repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine without medical training,” including multiple times on the day of the actor’s death, according to the Department of Justice. Iwamasa and Fleming pleaded guilty prior to the press conference, while Chavez finalized his plea deal on Thursday. Sangha faces life in prison, while Plasencia is facing 120 years.
Estrada also confirmed Sangha was responsible for the ketamine that killed Perry and even had her own “drug emporium” in her North Hollywood residence. She has further been charged in the 2019 overdose death of victim Cody McLaury, per the DOJ.
In May, the LAPD confirmed detectives were working with both the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Postal Inspection Service to uncover who supplied Perry with the ketamine.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this reporting.
