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Among the five defendants is the “Ketamine Queen”

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The California Department of Justice has filed charges against five people in connection with the death of Matthew Perry last October, including a former film director, two doctors, his live-in assistant and a drug dealer known as the “ketamine queen” of North Hollywood.

The “Friends” star was found unconscious in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office later confirmed that he died from “the acute effects of ketamine,” a dissociative anesthetic with hallucinogenic effects. His causes of death included drowning, coronary heart disease and the effects of buprenorphine, according to his autopsy. No pills, drugs or medications were found near the pool.

At a press conference on Thursday, Martin Estrada, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, announced multiple charges against five defendants who allegedly “knew what they were doing was wrong” and “attempted to cover up their actions.” He added that the defendants were more concerned with profiting from Perry than his well-being and warned others against engaging in similar actions.

“It's a drug that has to be administered by a medical professional and the patient has to be closely monitored. That's not what happened here,” he said at the news conference. “They're playing roulette with other people's lives, just like these five defendants here did with Mr. Perry.”

The co-conspirators allegedly used encrypted messaging applications and coded language to discuss drug deals, frequently referring to ketamine bottles as “Dr. Pepper,” “cans,” and “bots.”

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What charges were brought?

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed 18 charges against 42-year-old doctor Salvador Plasencia and 41-year-old Jasveen Sangha for allegedly “distributing ketamine to Perry during the actor's final weeks of life.”

USA TODAY has reached out to Sangha's attorney for comment. Court records have not been updated with an attorney for Plasencia.

Three other defendants were listed as co-conspirators who pleaded guilty, including the actor's live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, and Dr. Mark Chavez and film producer Eric Fleming, both 54.

Who is the “Ketamine Queen” of North Hollywood?

Sangha, referred to in the Justice Department's indictment as the “ketamine queen” of North Hollywood, allegedly used her Los Angeles home to store and distribute narcotics such as ketamine and methamphetamine.

Officials allege Sangha worked with Fleming to sell the ketamine Perry was using. When reports of Perry's death surfaced, she allegedly texted Fleming on the communications app Signal, telling him to “delete all of our messages,” and changed the app's settings to automatically delete messages they sent to each other, according to the indictment, obtained by USA TODAY.

Acting on a search warrant, the Los Angeles Police Department later found approximately 79 vials of ketamine in Sangha’s “stash.”

In March, U.S. prosecutors filed a lawsuit against Sangha accusing her of methamphetamine possession with the intent to resell, according to court records seen by USA TODAY. The federal case against her was updated Wednesday with the first indictment, unsealed Thursday, which also names Plasencia.

Who is Dr. Salvador Plasencia?

Plasencia, nicknamed “Dr. P” by the Justice Department, was a licensed physician in California.

Along with his colleague Chavez, he was authorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration to dispense, administer and prescribe controlled substances such as narcotics as long as there was a legitimate medical purpose. However, he is alleged to have distributed the Schedule III drug without a legitimate reason, the indictment states.

He allegedly learned of Perry's interest in ketamine last September and asked Chavez to sell it to him, investigators said. Text messages show Plasencia allegedly said, “I wonder how much this idiot is going to pay” and “Let's find out,” the indictment says.

The Justice Department alleges that Plasencia also gave Perry instructions and provided syringes, ordering ten vials of ketamine despite telling a patient at his clinic less than a week earlier that the actor was “too far gone and falling into a downward spiral of addiction.”

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Who is the film director Erik Flemming?

Eric Fleming is an acquaintance of Perry and lives in the city of Hawthorne in southwest Los Angeles County, the indictment says.

Fleming, a former Hollywood filmmaker, directed the 1999 children's and family comedy “My Brother Pig,” starring Scarlett Johansson and Eva Mendes. In 2003, he produced the first season of the reality show “The Surreal Life,” and in 1999 he directed and produced the road trip film “Tyrone,” starring “Entourage” stars Coolio and Kevin Connolly.

On October 13, 2023, Fleming allegedly drove to Sangha's hideout in North Hollywood to purchase a sample of ketamine that was contained in an unlabeled, clear glass vial with a blue lid, the indictment states.

Fleming pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years.

Who is Dr. Mark Chavez?

Chavez is a licensed physician in California who previously operated a ketamine clinic, according to the Justice Department.

On Sept. 30, he allegedly confirmed that he would sell ketamine to Plasencia and wrote a forged prescription to an unnamed victim without his consent or knowledge, the indictment states.

The Justice Department confirmed that Chavez also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He is scheduled to go to trial on August 30 and faces up to 10 years in prison.

Who is Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa?

Iwamasa, a Los Angeles County resident, has worked as Perry's assistant, a live-in caregiver who lives in her client's home and provides 24-hour care.

The 59-year-old is said to have injected Perry with several doses of ketamine that he had received from Fleming and Sangha, the indictment says.

Earlier this month, Iwamasa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and faces up to 15 years in prison.

Contributors: KiMi Robinson, Taijuan Moorman and Jay Stahl

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