Jasveen Sangha, known as the 'Ketamine Queen,' is one of five people formally charged in the case related to Matthew Perry's death. Among the five charged were two doctors and Matthew Perry's assistant. Sangha pleaded guilty to five federal criminal charges in August, including maintaining a drug-involved premises and distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
Matthew Perry was found dead in his pool/hot tub/jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home in October 2023. The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed firefighters responded to Matthew Perry's Southern California home at 4:07 p.m. on Oct. 28 and found an adult male unconscious in a stand-alone jacuzzi. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office declared that Matthew Perry died from the 'acute effects of ketamine' on December 15, 2023. His autopsy report cited drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine as contributing to his death.
Jasveen Sangha and Erik Fleming sold Matthew Perry's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 51 vials of ketamine before his death, according to a plea agreement. On October 28, 2023, Kenneth Iwamasa injected Matthew Perry with at least three shots of Jasveen Sangha’s ketamine, which caused Perry’s death. Matthew Perry's personal assistant admitted to injecting him with several doses of ketamine on the day he died.
Prosecutors say Matthew Perry used ketamine to treat depression and received ketamine infusion therapy from doctors. It is claimed Matthew Perry began getting ketamine from dealers when his doctors refused to prescribe more doses.
Jasveen Sangha was arrested in August 2024. Prosecutors say law enforcement found drugs and drug trafficking items in Jasveen Sangha's home in March 2024, including 1.7 kg of methamphetamine pills and 79 vials of ketamine. Prosecutors say Jasveen Sangha deleted text messages and told Erik Fleming to do the same after finding out Matthew Perry died.
Federal prosecutors say Jasveen Sangha should serve 15 years in prison. Prosecutors wrote in a court filing that Jasveen Sangha displayed 'cold callousness and disregard for life.' Upon entering her guilty plea, Jasveen Sangha will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years on the drug-involved premises count, up to 10 years for each ketamine distribution count, and up to 15 years for the count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.
Matthew Perry's mother and father arrived at a Los Angeles federal courthouse for the sentencing of Jasveen Sangha. Suzanne and Keith Morrison were spotted entering the building just before 10 a.m. PT to deliver victim impact statements.
Matthew Perry's family is seeking the maximum prison sentence for those involved.
A doctor who admitted to distributing ketamine to Matthew Perry weeks before he died was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison on Wednesday. Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty in July to four counts of distribution of ketamine. He is one of two doctors convicted of providing Matthew Perry with ketamine before the actor died in October 2023 at the age of 54. Salvador Plasencia, 44, operated an urgent care clinic in Calabasas. He faced a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each count, prosecutors said. Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett sentenced Salvador Plasencia to 30 months in federal prison for each count, to run concurrently, as well as two years of supervised release and a $5,600 fine. The judge highlighted that Salvador Plasencia did not give the fatal dose of ketamine, but agreed his actions led to Matthew Perry going down a road toward his ultimate demise.
Jasveen Sangha is a dual citizen of the United States and the United Kingdom. She also admitted to selling four vials of ketamine to victim Cody McLaury in August 2019, who died hours later from a drug overdose.
Buprenorphine is an opioid-like drug used in the treatment of opioid addiction as well as acute and chronic pain, according to a 29-page autopsy report.
The specific sentence Jasveen Sangha received or will receive remains pending, as her sentencing is reported as recently occurring. The identities and charges of the other two individuals among the five charged, beyond the two doctors and Perry's assistant, have not been disclosed. The exact timeline and circumstances of how Matthew Perry obtained ketamine from dealers after his doctors refused further prescriptions are unclear.
The current legal status and sentencing outcomes for Erik Fleming and Kenneth Iwamasa are unknown. Whether there are ongoing investigations or charges related to other individuals involved in the ketamine distribution network beyond those already charged has not been confirmed.