Five people, including two doctors, charged in investigation into Matthew Perry's death
Federal authorities have announced charges against five people over the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry, Aisha Zahid reports
Five people have been charged in connection with American actor Matthew Perry's death last year, including his assistant and two doctors.
On October 28, 2023, 54-year-old Perry was found face down in his hot tub at his home in Los Angeles, soon after paramedics were called and immediately declared him dead.
His autopsy, released in December, revealed that he had the same amount of ketamine in his bloodstream as the level used for general anaesthesia during surgery.
At a press conference on Thursday, US Attorney Martin Estrada announced a series of charges related to the actor's death.
Mr Estrada said two of the defendants, Dr Salvador Plasencia, 42, of Santa Monica and Dr Mark Chavez, 54, of San Diego, allegedly worked together to supply Perry with large amounts of ketamine – charging Perry $2,000 (£1,500) for a vial that cost Dr Chavez approximately $12 (£9).
Before Perry’s death, Dr Plasencia allegedly wrote in a text message: “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” and "lets find out".
“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong," Mr Estrada added.
The defendants allegedly exchanged messages soon after Perry's death referencing ketamine as the cause of death, and Estrada said they tried to cover up their involvement in supplying the drug.
Perry's live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, of Toluca Lake, was also arrested after he allegedly distributed and injected the vials of Ketamine to the "Friends" star.
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said: "As Matthew Perry’s ketamine addiction grew, he wanted more, and he wanted it faster and cheaper, that is how he ended up buying from street dealers who sold the ketamine that ultimately led to his death."
Eric Fleming, 54, of Hawthorne allegedly sourced the Ketamine from a drug trafficker known as "The Ketamine Queen", Jasveen Sangha, 41, of North Hollywood.
Sangha allegedly sold 50 vials of Ketamine to Perry for $11,000 (£8,553) in cash.
“The ketamine supplied by Sangha would ultimately be the dose that took Matthew Perry’s life,” Ms Milgram told the briefing.
In May, Los Angeles police said that they were working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the US Postal Inspection Service with a probe into why Perry had a such a high amount of the anaesthetic in his system.
The drug was listed as the primary cause of death, which was ruled as an accident with no foul play suspected - drowning and other issues were contributing factors.
Ketamine is typically used for anaesthesia, but its use for depression, anxiety, and pain has been increasing in recent years.
People close to Perry told coroner's investigators that he was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy.
However, the medical examiner stated that Perry's final treatment one and a half weeks before his death would not account for the levels of ketamine in his blood. The drug is usually metabolised within a few hours.
According to the medical examiner's report, Perry was being treated by at least two doctors; a psychiatrist and an anaesthesiologist who served as his primary care physician.
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No illicit drugs or paraphernalia were discovered at his residence.
Perry struggled with addiction for years, even during his time on the 90s sitcom Friends, where he played Chandler Bing alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer.
In November 2022, Perry released the book Friends, Lovers and The big Terrible Thing where he talked about his life, addiction and that he was in "sobriety".
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