The wide-ranging prosecution in the death of Matthew Perry, star of Friends, is drawing to a close. Five individuals have pleaded guilty for their roles in supplying the actor with ketamine, the drug that caused his death at age 54 in 2023. Three have been sentenced, and the final two will be sentenced in the coming days. Here is a look at each person.
Kenneth Iwamasa
Perry’s 60-year-old longtime live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, was deeply involved in the actor’s illegal ketamine use. According to his plea agreement, he acted as a drug messenger and personally administered injections—six to eight per day in Perry’s final days. On October 23, 2023, Perry told him, “Shoot me up with a big one.” After several injections, Iwamasa left Perry at his home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles and returned to find him dead in his hot tub. An autopsy determined the primary cause of death was the acute effects of ketamine, with drowning as a secondary cause. Iwamasa made nearly all of the illegal drug buys on Perry’s behalf, coordinating with co-defendants. Dr. Salvador Plasencia taught him how to inject Perry. Iwamasa cooperated quickly with police and prosecutors, becoming the first to reach a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. His sentencing is scheduled for May 27, making him the final defendant to be sentenced. He is the only defendant who has yet to make a public statement.
Jasveen Sangha
Prosecutors dubbed Jasveen Sangha “The Ketamine Queen” due to her jet-setting, drug-dealing lifestyle, though her lawyers claim authorities fabricated the nickname to fuel media frenzy. Sangha admitted to running a serious drug operation, selling Perry the dose of ketamine he took on the day he died, and also causing the death of another man, 33-year-old Cody McLaury, in 2019. Unlike other defendants with no prior convictions, Sangha had been dealing drugs including ketamine, methamphetamine, and cocaine from her home for at least five years, according to prosecutors and a judge. Sangha, 42, was born in Britain, raised in the United States, and holds dual citizenship. Her social media showed her in luxurious settings with celebrities in Spain, Japan, Dubai, London, and Los Angeles. She attended high school in Calabasas, California, graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 2005, worked at Merrill Lynch, and later earned an MBA from Hult International Business School in London. Her lawyers presented this as evidence of an upstanding character, but prosecutors argued she sold drugs out of greed and glamour. She pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of ketamine, one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury, and one count of using her home for drug distribution. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison, the longest sentence so far. At sentencing, Sangha said, “These were not mistakes. They were horrible decisions,” adding that her choices had “shattered people’s lives and the lives of their family and friends.”
Erik Fleming
Erik Fleming, 56, was working as a drug addiction counselor when a mutual friend told him that Perry was seeking ketamine, according to prosecutors. Fleming’s lawyers said he was a former television and film producer whose career was ruined by substance abuse, but after achieving sobriety, he became a counselor. However, he relapsed when approached about Perry and connected the actor with Sangha to buy her product. Prosecutors say Fleming delivered 50 vials of Sangha’s ketamine to Perry, marking up the price for profit, including 25 vials sold for $6,000 four days before Perry’s death. Authorities found him early in the investigation, and both sides agreed he was immediately cooperative. He gave up Sangha and was the first to appear in court and plead guilty. He pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. His sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday. Prosecutors have requested 2.5 years in prison, while the defense asked for three months followed by nine months in a residential treatment program. In a presentencing letter, Fleming wrote, “I procured ketamine for Matthew Perry because I wanted the money and because I thought I was doing a favor for a friend. I never contemplated the worst possible outcome. This grievous failure will haunt me forever.”
Dr. Salvador Plasencia
“I wonder how much this moron will pay?” That was a text message Dr. Salvador Plasencia sent to a fellow doctor upon learning Perry was seeking illegal ketamine, according to his plea agreement. Plasencia, 44, a Los Angeles-area doctor known as “Dr. P,” was a main target of the prosecution and was headed for a joint trial with Sangha before reaching a plea deal. Perry connected with Plasencia through another patient. The actor had been legally receiving ketamine from his regular doctor for depression, an off-label but common use, but wanted more than prescribed. Plasencia admitted to injecting Perry with some initial vials and leaving more for Iwamasa to inject, despite Perry freezing up and his blood pressure spiking after a dose. Plasencia graduated from UCLA’s medical school in 2010 and had no prior disciplinary actions. He pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine and was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison, two years of probation, and a $5,600 fine. At sentencing, Plasencia cried, imagining telling his 2-year-old son “about the time I didn’t protect another mother’s son. It hurts me so much.”
Dr. Mark Chavez
Dr. Mark Chavez, a San Diego doctor who ran a ketamine clinic, was the source of the doses Plasencia sold to Perry. Chavez admitted to obtaining ketamine from a wholesale distributor under false pretenses and passing it along. Chavez, 55, graduated from UCLA’s medical school in 2004 and has surrendered his medical license. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and was sentenced to eight months of home confinement and three years of supervised release. At sentencing, Chavez said, “I just want to say my heart goes out to the Perry family.”
