L.A. woman to plead guilty in ketamine overdose death of Matthew Perry

Aug. 18 (UPI) -- A Los Angeles woman has agreed to plead guilty in the illegal sale of ketamine that killed 54-year-old actor Matthew Perry in 2023, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Jasveen Sangha, 42, of North Hollywood, will take a plea to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine and one count of the drug's distribution resulting in death or serious bodily injury, the Department of Justice said in news release.

Five other charges were dropped against the woman, who is known as the "Ketamine Queen" to her customers, according to prosecutors.

Sangha has been in federal custody since August 2024. She signed a guilty plea agreement on Thursday because "I am guilty of the charges," DOJ said.

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Ketamine, a synthetic compound, is a strong anesthetic that people have used for depression, pain and as a recreational drug. Doctors can prescribe the drug for medical purposes.

Perry, best known as playing Chander in the TV comedy Friends, had written about his struggles with addiction in his memoir.

Sangha, who was scheduled to go on trial on Sept. 23, could face up to 65 years in prison for the five charges. DOJ said the dual citizen of the United States and Britain is expected to formally enter a guilty plea in a few weeks.

Mark Geragos, who has defended several high-profile clients, including Michael Jackson, the Mendez brothers and P Diddy, said in a documentary released earlier this year, his client "never met Matthew Perry" and "had nothing to do with Matthew Merry."

On Monday, Geragos said she was "taking responsibility for her actions."

In earlier court documents, she had heard of Perry's interest in ketamine through an acquaintance, Erik Fleming, 55, who was in touch with the actor's live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 60, prosecutors said. She offered a sample and boasted her supply was "amazing."

Two days later, she sent the drug to Perry.

The next day, the personal assistant bought 25 vials for Perry and another 25 two weeks later, along with some ketamine lollipops.

Iwamasa injected Perry with three doses on the day he died on Oct. 28, 2023. Perry was found floating face down in a hot tub in his L.A. home.

He died of "acute effects of ketamine," the L.A. medical examiner said.

After she learned about Perry death, Sangha sought to destroy evidence implicating her, prosecutors said in court documents.

When her home was raided on March 24, 2023, 79 vials of ketamine and three pounds of orange pills containing methamphetamine were found along with Ecstasy, counterfeit Xanax pills, cocaine and paraphernalia.

In her plea agreement, Sangha also admitted to selling four vials of the drug to Cody McLaury, 33, who died from an overdose in August 2019.

Prosecutors said she still sold ketamine from her apartment after that time.

Fleming faces up to 25 years in prison and Iwamasa up to 15 years after they both pleaded guilty.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 43, in June agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine. He was scheduled to go on trial with Sangha. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 3 and he faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

Another physician, Mark Chavez, 55, of San Diego, faces up to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty.