‘Ketamine queen' agrees to plead guilty after selling Matthew Perry fatal dose
The 54-year-old, most known for his role as Chandler Bing in Friends, died in October 2023 – an autopsy later found that he had been killed due to 'acute effects of ketamine'.
Five people were charged in connection with his death following a police investigation – his live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, Erik Fleming, Dr Salvador Plasencia, Dr Mark Chavez and Jasveen Sangha, who was dubbed the 'Ketamine queen'.
The first four have since admitted their parts and are due to be sentenced later this year.
Sangha, 42, initially pleaded not guilty and was due to take the stand at a trial later this month, but has now changed her plea.
In a statement from the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, a spokesperson confirmed that she agreed to plead guilty to 'five federal criminal charges, including that she provided the ketamine that ultimately resulted in the overdose death of actor Matthew Perry in October 2023'.
According to the agreement, she worked with Erik Fleming, 55, 'to knowingly distribute ketamine to Perry'.
In October 2023, just before his death, they 'sold him 51 vials of ketamine, which were provided to Kenneth Iwamasa, 60'.
Sangha – who is a dual citizen of the UK and US – has been in federal custody since last August, and is expected to formally enter her plea 'in the coming weeks', ahead of a sentencing hearing in the next few months.
She will also plead guilty to 'one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury'.
The spokesperson confirmed that she could face a maximum of 45 years behind bars across all charges, but it is not clear whether they would be served consecutively or concurrently.
It was alleged that Iwamasa repeatedly injected Perry with the ketamine that she supplied to Fleming in the lead-up to his death.
He reportedly administered at least three shots of ketamine on October 28, which is said to have caused the actor's death.
In the indictment released following the arrests, Sangha instructed Fleming to 'delete all our messages' after news broke of his passing.
Law enforcement also searched her property and reportedly found 1.7 kilograms of pressed pills containing methamphetamine, 79 vials of liquid ketamine, MDMA tablets, counterfeit Xanax pills, baggies containing powdered ketamine and cocaine.
Paraphernalia, including a gold money counting machine, a scale, a wireless signal and a hidden camera detector, drug packaging materials, and $5,723 in cash, was also discovered.
Perry had spent much of his life in the spotlight and shot to superstardom thanks to his role in Friends, which ran from 1994 to 2004.
He also appeared in 17 Again, Fools Rush In, The Whole Nine Yards, and The West Wing over the years.
The actor had been open about his addiction struggles throughout his career and touched on his issues in his candid 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing – released a year before his death. More Trending
News of Sangha's changed plea comes weeks after Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine last month.
He was accused of supplying the bulk of Perry's ketamine in his final weeks and faces a maximum of 40 years in prison.
Like Sangha, he had initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea in June after an agreement was reached with prosecutors, who dropped two counts of falsifying records and three additional counts of distribution of ketamine.
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Chavez's sentencing will take place on September 17, while Fleming is due in court on November 12, Iwamasa is appearing on November 19, and Plasencia will be sentenced on December 3.
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