Matthew Perry's assistant is one of five defendants in the death of the “Friends” star

LOS ANGELES – Five people, including his personal assistant and two doctors, have been charged in connection with the October 2023 death of actor Matthew Perry. The Justice Department announced the charges Thursday, following an investigation that began when Perry was found dead in his home last year.

The cause of death was suspected to be an overdose of ketamine. Ketamine is a powerful drug that is usually used as an anesthetic during surgery, but in recent years has also gained popularity in the treatment of pain, depression and anxiety.

Prosecutors allege that numerous people were involved in illegally obtaining the drug for Perry, who had also been prescribed it by his primary care physician. Perry had last received ketamine treatment from his doctor a week and a half before his death, the Associated Press reports. However, the amount of ketamine found in his body at the time of his death could not be attributed to that treatment, as the drug is normally broken down within a few hours.

Two of the five people accused in the case were arrested on Thursday and are expected to be formally arraigned later today. The two defendants are Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Jasveen Sangha, the Justice Department said.

Sangha is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, one count of maintaining drug-dependent premises, one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, one count of possession of ketamine with intent to distribute and five counts of distribution of ketamine.

Plasencia is charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering or falsifying documents or records in connection with the federal investigation.

The three other people arrested and charged in this case have already pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty, according to the Justice Department. These defendants have been identified as Kenneth Iwamasa, Erik Fleming and Dr. Mark Chavez.

Iwamasa worked as Perry's assistant and was the one who found Perry facedown in his hot tub on October 28, 2023. Iwamasa pleaded guilty on August 7 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death. Iwamasa admitted to injecting Perry with ketamine multiple times without the proper medical training to do so.

Fleming pleaded guilty on August 8 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine causing death. Fleming admitted to supplying 50 vials of ketamine to Iwamasa, including 25 vials delivered four days before Perry's death.

According to the Justice Department, Chavez has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. In his guilty plea, Chavez admitted to selling ketamine to Plasencia that he diverted from his previous ketamine clinic. Chavez also admitted to obtaining ketamine from a wholesaler by forging a prescription in the name of a former patient who had no idea his name was being used to obtain ketamine.

“These defendants were more concerned with profiting from Mr. Perry than with his well-being,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “Drug dealers who sell dangerous substances put other people's lives at risk for their greed. This case and our many other prosecutions of drug dealers who cause deaths send a clear message that we will hold drug dealers accountable for the deaths they cause.”

Prosecutors allege that Plasencia learned in September 2023 that Perry was interested in ketamine. From then on, Plasencia contacted Chavez to obtain the drug and deliver it to Perry. Prosecutors say there were discussions in text messages between the two about how much to charge Perry, and the AP reports that in one case, Perry paid $2,000 for a vial that cost $12.

On seven separate occasions, Plasencia allegedly supplied Perry and Iwamasa with ketamine. At one meeting, Plasencia allegedly injected Perry with the drug in a car parked in a Long Beach parking lot. Prosecutors also allege that Plasencia left vials of ketamine with Iwamasa and showed the assistant how to inject Perry with the drug, even though Iwamasa had no proper medical training.

In mid-October, Iwamasa allegedly contacted Fleming to obtain more ketamine for Perry. Fleming then coordinated with Sangha to supply Iwamasa with the drug for Perry's use, prosecutors allege.

The indictment also states that Iwamasa injected Perry with ketamine several times on the day of his death, following Plasencia's instructions and using ketamine provided to him by Fleming and Sangha.

“Bringing these individuals to justice for their role in Mr. Perry's untimely death required coordination and hard work from a number of people, and I want to thank LAPD detectives and our federal partners for their patience and dedication,” said Los Angeles Police Department Chief Dominic Choi.