Defendants ‘exploited Matthew Perry’s addiction’
“These defendants exploited Mr. Perry’s addiction problems to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing could cause great harm to Mr. Perry, but they did it anyway,” the prosecutor alleged
According to an autopsy, actor Matthew Perry died from acute side effects of ketamine, so his assistant, two doctors, a drug lord and a pimp were just tried.
The first hearing took place in Los Angeles federal court on August 15. Three of the five people charged had previously pleaded guilty, including a doctor, the actor’s assistant, and the “pimp”.
The other two, Dr Salvador Plasencia, 42, and Jasveen Sangha, 41, nicknamed the “Ketamine Queen”, appeared in court yesterday but pleaded not guilty.
Defendants ‘exploited Matthew Perry’s addiction’
“These defendants exploited Mr. Perry’s addiction problems to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing could cause great harm to Mr. Perry, but they did it anyway,” the prosecutor alleged.
According to the indictment, in the fall of 2023, Perry, who had struggled with addiction in the past, “relapsed and these defendants exploited this for their own personal gain.”
Over two months, they gave Perry about 20 vials of ketamine in exchange for $55,000 in cash.
Dr. Salvador saw this as an opportunity to profit from Mr. Perry, texting the actor’s assistant: “I wonder how much this idiot will pay?” and expressing his desire to become the actor’s “ketamine supplier.”
Prosecutors said the doctors bought the ketamine for $12 each but sold it to Perry for $2,000. As a doctor, Salvador “was fully aware of the dangers of what he was doing” and confided to others that the actor was “out of control because of his addiction.”
Prosecutors said the doctor was unethical enough to run any clinic, accusing him of acting like a “street drug dealer chasing money and profit”.
Dr. Salvador pleaded not guilty at an August 15 hearing. The next hearing is scheduled for October 8.
The judge allowed the doctor to be released on $100,000 bail and ordered him to surrender his passport. The judge also ordered Salvador to post a sign outside his clinic door alerting all patients to the case in which he is a defendant, and that patients who still want to be treated by him must sign a form each time they agree to know about the case.
Sangha, accused of selling 50 vials of ketamine for about $11,000 in cash over two weeks to Perry, worked with a pimp and an assistant to distribute the drugs to the actor.
Sangha is accused of selling Perry the ketamine that killed him. Sangha has pleaded not guilty.
During the hearing, the prosecutor noted that Sangha had gone on a lavish vacation after Perry’s death. The defendant had no job but frequently took international vacations, largely relying on drug trafficking.
Last day of life
Matthew Perry died on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54. Police said he was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. An autopsy report found he died from the acute effects of ketamine.
After Perry died, the defendants allegedly told each other to “delete all our messages immediately,” according to the indictment.
The two doctors falsified the actor’s medical records, creating a “treatment plan” with him to justify his use of ketamine. The defendants allegedly used coded messages and coded language referring to ketamine as “Dr. Pepper” to distribute the drug.
A search of Sangha’s home following Perry’s death uncovered a “drug den”, including ketamine, methamphetamine, cocaine, scales and ledgers.
Prosecutors said Dr. Salvador Plasencia could face a maximum sentence of 120 years in federal prison if convicted, while Sangha faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The remaining three are in various stages of plea agreements.
Specifically, assistant Iwamasa, 59 years old, injected Matthew Perry with a shot of ketamine at around 8:30 a.m. and then another shot at 12:45 p.m. while the actor was watching a movie.
About 40 minutes later, Perry asked his assistant to prepare a hot bath and “shoot me a really strong shot,” referring to another shot of ketamine.
Iwamasa admitted to injecting the drug while Perry was in or near the hot tub, then leaving the house to run an errand. “After returning home, the defendant discovered Perry lying face down in the hot tub and deceased,” the indictment states.
According to the autopsy report, Perry had high levels of ketamine in his blood, likely lost consciousness and then sank into the water.
Perry is best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit comedy series “Friends”, which aired from 1994 to 2004.
