Five people, including two doctors, have now been charged in connection to the overdose death of actor Matthew Perry.
The Department of Justice announced two new arrests in the case in Southern California on Thursday. Dr. Salvador Plasencia was arrested for allegedly distributing the drug, as was alleged drug dealer Jasveen Sangha. Both defendants face multiple additional charges, according to a DOJ press release.
Dr. Mark Chavez has already agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and faces up to 10 years in prison, the DOJ said.
The other defendants — Eric Fleming, who admitted to obtaining the ketamine from Sangha, and Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s personal assistant who injected him with ketamine the day he died — have already pleaded guilty, according to the DOJ.
Perry, one of the stars of the hit sitcom “Friends,” died in October after overdosing on ketamine and drowning in his hot tub. He was 54.
“We allege each of the defendants played a key role in his death by falsely prescribing, selling, or injecting the ketamine that caused Matthew Perry’s tragic death,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in a statement. “Matthew Perry’s journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday, to street dealers who gave him ketamine in unmarked vials.”
When police searched Sangha’s home, they discovered thousands of dollars worth of methamphetamine and ketamine, according to the indictment.
Drug Enforcement Administration
“The superseding indictment alleges that Sangha’s distribution of ketamine on October 24, 2023, caused Perry’s death,” the DOJ said in a statement. “Plasencia is charged with seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation.”
Authorities, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, first opened an investigation into Perry’s death in May.
Perry, who had been outspoken about his struggles with addiction, had previously undergone ketamine treatment. The medical examiner who determined Perry’s cause of death noted that he had levels of ketamine in his blood equivalent to the amount used during general anesthesia.
If found guilty on all charges, Sangha could face up to life in prison. All other defendants face minimum prison sentences of between 10 and 20 years if they are found guilty.
