Punjabi-origin woman behind Friends star Matthew Perry overdose death

Indian Express

15 hours ago

A Punjabi-origin woman accused of supplying the drugs that led to the death of Friends star Matthew Perry has agreed to plead guilty to multiple federal charges, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced Monday.
Jasveen Sangha, 42, who holds dual citizenship of the United States and the United Kingdom, has been described by prosecutors as a prolific Los Angeles drug dealer known in her circles as the 'Ketamine Queen.' Sangha, who lived in North Hollywood, built her trade around selling ketamine and other narcotics, often boasting of her reputation among buyers.
She admitted to providing the ketamine that caused Perry's fatal overdose in October 2023 and will formally enter her plea in the coming weeks. With her agreement, Sangha becomes the fifth and final defendant in the case to strike a deal with federal prosecutors, avoiding a trial that had been scheduled for September.
According to the Justice Department, Sangha has agreed to plead guilty to five counts—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 charges carry a statutory maximum sentence of up to 45 years in federal prison.
'A San Fernando Valley woman has 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,' the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.
Prosecutors said Sangha worked with co-defendant Erik Fleming, 55, of Hawthorne, to supply Perry with large quantities of ketamine. In October 2023, Sangha and Fleming sold 51 vials of the drug to Perry's live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 60, of Toluca Lake.
On October 28, 2023, Iwamasa injected Perry with at least three doses of Sangha's ketamine, leading to the actor's death. After news of the death broke, Sangha allegedly used encrypted apps to discuss covering her tracks, instructing Fleming to 'Delete all our messages.'
Court filings also revealed that Sangha admitted to a prior case involving another victim, Cody McLaury, who died in August 2019 after purchasing ketamine from her.
In March 2023, law enforcement searched Sangha's North Hollywood residence and seized 1.7 kilograms of pressed methamphetamine pills, 79 vials of liquid ketamine, counterfeit Xanax, MDMA tablets, powdered cocaine and ketamine, as well as cash and drug-trafficking equipment. Sangha admitted to using the residence as a base for distributing narcotics since at least 2019.
Sangha has been in federal custody since August 2024. At sentencing, she faces a statutory maximum of 20 years for the drug-premises charge, up to 10 years for each ketamine distribution count, and up to 15 years for the distribution resulting in death or serious bodily injury—totalling 45 years.
The case has been investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Perry, who rose to global fame playing Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom Friends, was 54 when he died. His struggles with addiction were widely documented in his memoir and interviews, lending his death a tragic resonance for millions of fans worldwide.