LOS ANGELES: Two doctors and three others, including a personal assistant to actor Matthew Perry, have been charged in connection with the overdose death of the "Friends" star last October. Perry, who struggled with addiction, died from an overdose of ketamine, a powerful sedative.
The defendants, including Jasveen Sangha, 41, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” and Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 42, are accused of providing the drug to Perry and others.
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada described the suspects as part of a criminal network exploiting Perry’s addiction.
Sangha allegedly sold ketamine from a stash house in North Hollywood. At the same time, Plasencia is accused of both providing ketamine to Perry and training Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, to administer the drug.
Iwamasa has admitted to injecting Perry multiple times on the day of his death and has pleaded guilty to one count.
Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, is also charged with supplying ketamine to Plasencia, while Eric Fleming, 54, has pleaded guilty to providing ketamine to Iwamasa.
As per the authorities concerned, the suspects sold around 20 vials of ketamine to Perry for $55,000 between September and October 2023.
It was revealed in Perry’s autopsy that he consumed dangerously high levels of ketamine, contributing to his death by drowning in his hot tub, compounded by coronary artery disease and opioid medication.
The suspects could be handed down sentences ranging from 10 years to life in prison, depending on the charges and outcomes of their trials.