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Matthew Perry’s personal assistant injected him with three fatal doses of ketamine, prosecutors charged Thursday, as they announced arrests in the beloved “Friends” star’s death — including the “Ketamine Queen” who allegedly provided the deadly batch.
Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, and four others are accused of “profiting” off Perry and his spiraling drug addiction, resulting in his fatal overdose Oct. 28 at his Pacific Palisades, Calif. home.
“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong,” US Attorney Martin Estrada said at a Los Angeles press conference announcing the charges.
Iwamasa, Perry’s assistant since 1994, administered at least 27 shots of ketamine to his boss during the last five days of his life, including three final shots that prosecutors allege resulted in his “death and serious bodily injury.”
Two doctors, Mark Chavez, 54, and Salvador Plasencia, 42, are also accused of getting Perry to shell out thousands of dollars for vials of ketamine that cost as little as $12.
Also charged are alleged street dealer Erik Fleming, 54, and Jasveen Sangha, 41, who the feds said is a drug dealer known as the “Ketamine Queen” of Los Angeles.
Perry, 54, who candidly wrote about his drug addiction in his memoir “Friends, Lover and the Big Terrible Thing,” was seeking treatment for his mental health struggles when his life took a dark turn, Anne Milgram, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said Thursday.
Here are the latest stories on the late Matthew Perry
He was undergoing ketamine therapy for depression and had last been treated over a week before he died, according to the autopsy report.
When the physicians at the clinic where Perry was being treated refused to increase his ketamine injections, the actor allegedly sought out Plasencia, Milgram said.
Plasencia asked his colleague Chavez for help with procuring drugs to give Perry, Milgram added.
“Instead of ‘do no harm,’ they did harm so they could make more money,” Milgram said of the two doctors, who were both arrested Thursday.
From September until Perry’s October death, Plasencia and Chavez allegedly supplied Perry with about 20 vials of ketamine in exchange for around $55,000 in cash.
On September 30, Plasencia texted Chavez to ask how much “this moron” — meaning Perry — would be willing to pay for the drug, according to the indictment.
He also expressed a desire to become Perry’s “go-to” for drugs.
Here’s what you need to know about the hallucinogenic ketamine
- Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic, making patients feel detached from their pain and environment.
- While leaving users feeling calm and immobile, ketamine has been abused recreationally as a “club drug” and to facilitate sexual assault.
- Celebrity endorsements are one of the reasons for the increased amount of prescriptions for ketamine in recent years.
- In 2019, the Food and Drug Administration approved Spravato, a nasal spray version of the narcotic, for treatment-resistant depression.
- Actor Matthew Perry, before his tragic passing on Oct. 28, 2023, was undergoing “ketamine infusion therapy” for “depression and anxiety.”
In one instance, Perry paid $2,000 for a vial of ketamine worth $12, Miligram said.
Iwamasa often coordinated with Perry’s suppliers using encrypted messaging apps and coded language that included referring to bottles of ketamine as “Dr. Pepper,” “cans” and “bots,” per the indictment.
The assistant — who had no medical training — also injected Perry with the drug based on instructions from Plasencia.
About two weeks before he died, Perry appeared to “freeze up” and his blood pressure skyrocketed when Plasencia injected him with a “large dose” of ketamine.
Plascencia allegedly sold Iwamasa more ketamine for $6,000 — despite being told that Perry’s addiction was spiraling out of control.
As Perry’s addiction became more debilitating, he also started getting ketamine through Fleming, who allegedly sourced his supply from Sangha, the indictment explained.
In one text exchange, Fleming told Iwamasa that Sangha only sold to “high end and celebs.”
Sangha ran her “stash house” out of her North Hollywood home, authorities said.
Just four days before Perry’s death, Fleming bought 25 vials of ketamine from Sangha’s North Hollywood “stash house” in exchange for cash, the indictment claims.
“As part of the transaction, Sangha included ketamine lollipops as an ‘add on’ for Perry’s ‘large ketamine order,’” the document alleges.
One neighbor told The Post on Thursday that the alleged dealer seemed “nice and whatnot,” but admitted that they knew “something was up.”
“I just heard from other neighbors that she partied and was into, or like, had some sketchy people she hung around,” they explained.
Authorities believe that Perry’s final, fatal dose of ketamine was supplied by Sangha.
Iwamasa later found the actor floating face down in the hot tub at his home.
At the time of his death, the actor had about 3.54 micrograms per milliliter of ketamine in his bloodstream — nearly three times the amount normally prescribed.
The drug in Perry’s system could not have been from his treatment, because ketamine’s half-life is only three to four hours, the coroner said.
A day before Perry died, Plascencia texted Iwamasa, offering to sell him more of the drug.
“I know you mentioned taking a break,” Plasencia wrote to the assistant in a text message on October 27, according to the indictment.
“I have been stocking up on the (sic) meanwhile. I am not sure when you guys plan to resume but in case it’s when I’m out of town this weekend I have left supplies with a nurse of mine,” and “I can always let her know the plan. I will be back in town Tuesday.”
Sangha was arrested in connection with a separate federal drug case in March, but was released from custody after posting a $100,000 bond, court records showed.
In addition to Perry’s death, she was also charged in connection with the death of Cody McLaury, 33, who died in 2019 as a result of ketamine peddled by her, the indictment said.
Shortly after McLaury died, one of his siblings texted Sangha that “the ketamine [she] sold my brother killed him. It’s listed as the cause of death.”
A few days later, Sangha googled “can ketamine be listed as a case of death.”
Plascencia and Sangha are both charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, while Sangha faces a slew of other charges.
Sangha has also been charged with one count of maintaining drug-involved premises, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine and five counts of distribution of ketamine.
Plasencia is charged with seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to a federal investigation.
Fleming, Iwamasa and Chavez have all copped plea deals in exchange for pleading guilty to various charges include conspiracy to distribute ketamine and conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death.
Fleming and Iwamasa will face up to 25 years and 15 years, respectively, at sentencing. Chavez faces 10 years behind bars.
Perry’s family told NBC News on Thursday that they are “heartbroken” by his death and “look forward to justice taking its course.”