CNN
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Prosecutors say a group of people with ties to Matthew Perry, including a doctor and North Hollywood’s alleged “Ketamine Queen,” exploited his vulnerability as a recovering drug addict and supplied the beloved actor with the drugs that ultimately took his life.
Five people have now been charged in connection with Perry’s death.
Perry, who played Chandler Bing on Friends, died last October at age 54. His body was found floating face-down in a freestanding hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home. An autopsy report said he died from “acute effects of ketamine” followed by drowning.
Perry detailed her decades-long struggle with drug addiction in her 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” writing that she began abusing prescription drugs after being prescribed Vicodin following a jet ski accident in 1997 while filming “Fools Rush In.”
Investigators believe Perry “relapsed into drug addiction” last fall, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in announcing the charges Thursday.
And the network of people “was more interested in profiting from Mr. Perry than he was in his well-being,” Estrada said.
Estrada said two doctors, Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Dr. Mark Chavez, worked to supply Perry with ketamine.
“Plasencia saw this as an opportunity to profit from Perry,” Estrada said.
According to court documents, Plascencia contacted Chavez in September, one month before Perry’s death, after learning that Perry was interested in purchasing ketamine.
In a September 2023 text message, Estrada said, Plascencia wrote, “How much is this idiot gonna pay?”
Estrada said Plascencia also wrote that he wanted to be Perry’s sole supplier.
Over the next few weeks, Plascencia bought ketamine from Chavez, sold vials of ketamine to Perry’s assistant and taught the assistant how to administer the drug, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Plascencia would deliver ketamine to Perry’s home and would also inject the drug into Perry in the backseat of his car in a parking lot.
On Oct. 12, Plascencia “administered large amounts of drugs” to Perry, causing an “adverse medical reaction,” prosecutors said in court documents. Perry’s systolic blood pressure spiked and he became rigid and was unable to speak or move, prosecutors said.
By mid-October, authorities said, another person close to Perry, Eric Fleming, began contacting possible drug dealers to purchase vials of ketamine on Perry’s behalf.
Federal prosecutors said Perry was given “approximately 20 vials of ketamine” between September and October 2023, totaling approximately $55,000.
Defendant Jasveen Sangha, whom authorities have called North Hollywood’s “ketamine queen,” ran a “drug store” out of her home, Estrada said.
Prosecutors said Fleming obtained ketamine from Sanga and then distributed the ketamine that killed Perry.
Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, also injected Perry with ketamine despite having no medical training, Estrada said.
According to the indictment, Iwamasa injected Perry with ketamine at least 21 times during the final week of Perry’s life. Authorities said Iwamasa “gave Perry multiple injections on Oct. 28, 2023, the day Perry died.”
According to Iwamasa’s plea agreement, Perry’s assistant administered the injections at 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on the day of her death. About 40 minutes later, Perry asked Iwamasa to prepare a Jacuzzi and told him to “give me a big shot,” according to court documents.
After Perry’s death, court documents state, Fleming and Sangha tried to delete messages indicating they had sold drugs to Perry.
“I am 90% sure everyone is protected. I never had any involvement with (Matthew Perry) only his assistant was involved so the assistant was the facilitator,” Fleming wrote in a text message to Sangha, according to prosecutors.
Plascencia has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine, and two counts of falsifying and forging documents or records in connection with a federal investigation. His lawyer told CNN affiliate KCAL/KCBS there is no evidence to support the charges against the doctor.
“Mr. Perry was receiving ketamine treatments, under the supervision of and as prescribed by a physician. While the US Attorney may disagree with Dr. Plascencia’s medical judgment, no criminal activity was committed at the time,” his attorney, Stephen Sachs, told the affiliate. “More importantly, the ketamine involved in Mr. Perry’s death has no connection to Dr. Plascencia.” CNN has reached out to Dr. Plascencia’s attorney for comment.
The other doctor indicted, Chavez, “agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine,” prosecutors said. CNN has reached out to Chavez’s lawyer for comment.
Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, one count of maintaining a drug facility, one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, one count of possession of ketamine with intent to distribute and five counts of selling ketamine. CNN has reached out to her lawyer for comment.
Fleming, who claims he distributed the ketamine that caused Perry’s death, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Fleming’s lawyer declined to comment.
Perry’s assistant, Iwamasa, also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death, the US Attorney’s Office announced. CNN has reached out to Iwamasa’s lawyer for comment.
CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz, Scott Glover, John Miller, Lisa Respers-France, Sheri Mossberg and Kelly McCreary contributed to this report.
