'Ketamine Queen' Who Sold Fatal Dose To Matthew Perry Agrees To Plead Guilty: DOJ

LOS ANGELES, CA — A San Fernando Valley woman has agreed to plead guilty to providing the ketamine that ultimately caused the overdose death of "Friends" actor Matthew Perry in October 2023, according to court papers filed Monday.

Jasveen Sangha, 42, dubbed the "Ketamine Queen" by prosecutors, will plead guilty in downtown Los Angeles to five federal charges, including maintaining a drug-involved premises, distribution of ketamine, and distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury on a date to be determined, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

She will be the last of five defendants — including two physicians — to plead guilty in the case.

• Read more: Doctor Who Mocked Matthew Perry Pleads Guilty In Fatal Ketamine Scheme

According to her plea agreement, Sangha worked with Erik Fleming, 55, of Hawthorne to distribute ketamine to Perry. In October 2023, Sangha and Fleming sold Perry 51 vials of ketamine, which were provided to Kenneth Iwamasa, 60, of Toluca Lake, Perry's live-in personal assistant, according to court documents.

Leading up to Perry's death, Iwamasa repeatedly injected Perry with the ketamine that Sangha supplied to Fleming, according to plea agreements in the case. On Oct. 28, 2023, Iwamasa injected Perry with at least three shots of Sangha's ketamine, causing Perry's death, documents state.

In her plea agreement, Sangha also admitted to selling four vials ketamine to victim Cody McLaury in August 2019. McLaury died hours later from a drug overdose, prosecutors said.

A message seeking a comment from Sangha's attorney was not immediately answered.

In her agreement with prosecutors, Sangha also admitted to possessing with intent to distribute various drugs at her North Hollywood apartment. In March 2023, law enforcement searched the residence and found 3.7 pounds of pressed pills containing methamphetamine, 79 vials of liquid ketamine, MDMA (Ecstasy) tablets, counterfeit Xanax pills, baggies containing powdered ketamine and cocaine, and other items such as a gold money counting machine, a scale, a wireless signal and hidden camera detector, drug packaging materials and $5,723 in cash.

She further admitted to using her North Hollywood home to store, package, and distribute narcotics, including ketamine and methamphetamine, since at least June 2019.

Prosecutors said Perry was paying $2,000 per vial of ketamine, while his dealers were paying $12 for each vial.

Perry detailed his years-long struggle with addiction in the 2022 memoir "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing." The "Friends" star, who played the character Chandler Bing in the series from 1994 to 2004, says he went through detox dozens of times.

Perry was found dead Oct. 28, 2023, in a hot tub behind his Pacific Palisades home of a fatal ketamine overdose. He was 54. The five defendants were charged in August 2024 in connection with the death.

Upon entering her guilty plea, Sangha will face up to 20 years in federal prison 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, prosecutors said.

The other four defendants are:

• Mark Chavez, 55, of San Diego, a physician, who pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison at his sentencing hearing on Sept. 17;
• Fleming, who pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 12, at which time he will face up to 25 years in federal prison;
• Iwamasa, who pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 19, at which time he will face up to 15 years in federal prison; and
• 'Salvador Plasencia, 43, also known as "Dr. P," of Santa Monica, who pleaded guilty on July 23 to four counts of distribution of ketamine. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 3, at which time he will face up to 10 years in federal prison for each count.

City News Service