The "Ketamine Queen," 42-year-old Jasveen Sangha, has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges related to the overdose death of Friends star Matthew Perry. She is the last of five defendants charged in the case, and she has agreed to a plea with prosecutors rather than going to trial, whose date had been set in September.
In her signed plea agreement, Sangha also confessed to five charges, distributing the ketamines directly blamed for Perry's October 2023 death. She is owning her conduct, aggressively answering those questions," said her lawyer, Mark Geragos. Perry, who found international fame playing Chandler Bing in the hit US sitcom Friends, was discovered unresponsive in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home. An autopsy confirmed that the immediate effects of ketamine were the cause of death.
According to prosecutors, Sangha was at the helm of a North Hollywood "stash house," in which she stored and distributed drugs, including ketamine, methamphetamine, and other substances. She provided 51 vials of ketamine to an intermediary, Erik Fleming, 55, according to officials. Fleming ultimately handed the vials to Perry's assistant, 60-year-old Kenneth Iwamasa, who then injected the actor several times, records show. Detectives said it was the doses from Iwamasa that killed Perry, who was found dead in the jacuzzi by Iwamasa.
Sangha pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premise, three counts of unlawful distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution resulting in death or serious bodily injury. She also admitted she sold ketamine to someone else in August 2019, who died of an overdose just hours later. While she had originally been facing nine criminal charges, prosecutors had, as part of the plea deal, agreed to reduce that number to five. If found guilty, she could be sentenced to as much as 65 years in prison. She is expected to plead formally in the coming weeks.
Four other defendants in the case have reached plea agreements. They consist of two doctors who sold ketamine—Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez; Erik Fleming, a man who received drugs from Sangha; and Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry's assistant, who not only bought the substance but also injected the actor with it. All five defendants knowingly provided Perry with ketamine, using his addiction to turn a profit, federal officials said.
The dual U.S.-British citizen was a familiar Hollywood name. Friends and acquaintances said she partied with celebrities and attended events, including the Golden Globes and the Oscars. Her social media accounts depicted a life of glamour, featuring pictures from luxury parties and trips to places including Mexico and Japan. Her public persona versus her charges has made for a striking juxtaposition that has caught the attention of many.
In March 2024, authorities raided her home and found over 80 vials of ketamine, in addition to significant amounts of methamphetamine, cocaine, and Xanax. Federal authorities have said Perry's death has brought attention to the escalating misuse of ketamine in Hollywood. Although the drug does have legitimate medical applications, as an anesthetic or to treat depression, experts warn that using the drug as a party drug rather than under a doctor's care can be dangerous and that it can kill.
