The death of Matthew Perry leads to a comprehensive indictment against five people, including doctors and alleged dealers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Almost 10 months after the death of Matthew PerryThe long-simmering investigation into the ketamine that killed him dramatically came to the public with the announcement that Five people were charged with roles in the overdose of the popular “Friends” star.

Here's everything you need to know about the case, including the two main players who may face trial and the possibility of a long prison sentence.

A comprehensive indictment

One or more arrests were expected, as investigators from three different authorities unveiled in May They had jointly investigated how 54-year-old Perry had obtained such large quantities of ketamine.

The actor was among a growing number of patients who use legal but not approved medical drugs to treat depression or other cases of chronic pain with the powerful surgical anesthetic.

Recent reports suggest that charges may be imminent, but few, if any, outsiders anticipated how extensive the prosecution would be and that it would go far beyond previous celebrity overdose cases.

When MichaelJackson died in 2009 from a lethal dose of the anesthetic Propofol, his doctor was tasked with administering it. After rapper Mac Miller died in 2017, two men described by prosecutors as a dealer and a middleman were found guilty of supplying fentanyl-laced oxycodone that contributed to his death.

But Perry's case involved both: It charged doctors and traffickers who prosecutors said took advantage of his long and publicized battle with addiction. The investigation even targeted his live-in personal assistant, who prosecutors said helped him obtain ketamine and injected it directly into him before Perry was found dead in his hot tub on October 28, 2023.

“They knew that their actions put Mr. Perry in great danger. But they did it anyway,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada when announcing the fees.

The prosecution was already well underway before the announcement. Two people, including assistant Kenneth Iwamasa and an acquaintance of Perry's, Eric Fleming, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute the drug. A San Diego doctor, Dr. Mark Chavez, has agreed to enter a guilty plea.

This gives prosecutors the freedom to pursue their two biggest goals.

The doctor and the “ketamine queen”

An indictment unsealed Thursday says Perry turned to Los Angeles doctor Salvador Plasencia when his primary care physicians would no longer prescribe him ketamine. Prosecutors allege Plasencia took advantage of Perry's desperation and addiction, tricking him into paying $55,000 in cash for large quantities of the drug in the two months before his death.

“I wonder how much this idiot is going to pay,” Plasencia texted a co-defendant, according to the indictment.

During his appearance in federal court on Thursday afternoon, he pleaded not guilty to seven counts of ketamine trafficking.

Plasencia's lawyer Stefan Sacks stated outside court that he had “operated with what he believed to be the best medical intentions” and that his actions “certainly did not rise to the level of criminal misconduct.”

Prosecutors allege that Jasveen Sangha – a drug dealer known to her clients as the “Ketamine Queen” – supplied the doses of the drug that actually killed Perry. Iwamasa injected it into the actor using syringes made by Plasencia.

Sangha also pleaded not guilty. Her lawyer Alexandra Kazarian mocked the nickname “Queen” during the hearing as being invented for the media. Outside court, the lawyer declined to comment on the case.

Prosecutors say the other doctor in the case, Chavez, helped Plasencia obtain the ketamine he gave to Perry, while Perry's acquaintance, Fleming, helped get ketamine from Sangha to Perry.

Chavez could face up to 10 years in prison, Iwamasa up to 15 years and Fleming up to 25 years.

Several messages seeking comment from the three men's lawyers were not responded to.

Looking at the process

Sangha could face life in prison if convicted, while Plasencia could face up to 120 years. Both have a trial date in October, but it is highly unlikely that either of them will be in court by then, and the two could be tried together. They could also receive testimony from co-defendants who have agreed to plead guilty.

Judge Alka Sagar ruled that Sangha should remain in custody without bail pending trial, citing prosecutors' claims that she destroyed evidence and continued to finance a lavish lifestyle through drug sales even after Perry's death.

The judge agreed to release Plasencia after posting $100,000 bail.

His lawyer argued that Perry's case was an “isolated case” and that the doctor should be allowed to continue treating patients who depend on him in his private practice while he awaits trial.

“I do not accept that argument,” Sagar said, but acknowledged that Plasencia could receive patients as long as they signed a document acknowledging the costs.

“Given the amount of press coverage, people have probably heard about it already,” Sacks told the judge, adding that if not, they would soon find out.

Records show Plasencia's medical license was in good standing and there were no complaints, but it expires in October and he could face lawsuits. He has already surrendered his federal license so he can prescribe more dangerous drugs.

Taking action against ketamine

Prosecutors and police portrayed Perry's case as part of a broader countermeasure against the rise in illegal ketamine use that has accompanied the expansion of its legal use.

Los Angeles police said in May They worked with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to find out how Perry got the drug. His autopsyThe investigation, released in December, found that the amount of ketamine in his blood was within the range used for general anesthesia during surgery.

“As Matthew Perry's ketamine addiction grew, he wanted more, and he wanted it faster and cheaper. He ended up buying from street dealers and stealing the ketamine that ultimately led to his death,” Anne Milgram, head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said Thursday. “In doing so, he followed the arc that we have tragically seen in many others. Substance use disorder begins in a doctor's office and ends on the street.”

Perry had for years struggles with addiction dates back to his time on NBC's megahit sitcom“Friends”, 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. In the role of Chandler Bing, he became one of the biggest television stars of his generation alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer.