A federal judge in Los Angeles sentenced Jasveen Sangha to 15 years in prison for her role in supplying the ketamine that killed actor Matthew Perry in October 2023. The sentence, handed down on Wednesday, caps a case that exposed a shadowy drug supply chain reaching into the homes of Hollywood's elite.
Sangha, 42, had pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Prosecutors called her a prolific drug dealer who operated out of her North Hollywood home, which they described as a "stash house." She had earned the nickname "Ketamine Queen" among her network of clients and intermediaries, a moniker that stuck throughout the investigation and court proceedings.
Perry, beloved for his role as Chandler Bing on the sitcom "Friends," was found unresponsive in the hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home on October 28, 2023. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled his death a ketamine overdose, with drowning and coronary artery disease listed as contributing factors. He was 54 years old.
Federal investigators traced the ketamine that killed Perry back to Sangha through a chain of intermediaries. NBC News reported that the investigation revealed Sangha had sold the drugs that ultimately reached Perry through Erik Fleming, a go-between who connected the actor's personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, with the supply. Iwamasa then injected Perry with the fatal dose.
Prosecutors said Sangha knew her ketamine was dangerous. They pointed to a prior incident in which another customer had overdosed after using drugs she supplied. Despite that, she continued selling. In court filings, prosecutors described her as someone who prioritized profit over the safety of the people buying from her.
Sangha was one of five people charged in connection with Perry's death. The case unfolded in layers, with each defendant occupying a different rung on the supply ladder.
Fleming, who served as the middleman between Sangha and Perry's assistant, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and received a sentence earlier in the proceedings. Iwamasa, Perry's live-in assistant, admitted to injecting the actor with ketamine on multiple occasions, including the day he died. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia, a physician who prosecutors said sold ketamine to Perry and coached Iwamasa on injection methods, was convicted at trial of distribution charges. Dr. Mark Chavez, another physician involved in the supply chain, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Both doctors faced separate sentencing proceedings.
The breadth of the case sent a clear signal from federal prosecutors: everyone in the chain, from the street-level dealer to the licensed physicians who exploited their prescribing authority, would face consequences.
At sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Woodworth urged the court to impose a lengthy prison term, arguing that Sangha's conduct was not a one-time lapse but a sustained criminal enterprise. Prosecutors had sought 15 years, and U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett granted that request in full.
Woodworth told the court that Sangha ran a sophisticated operation. She maintained a network of buyers, stored large quantities of ketamine and other controlled substances at her residence, and used encrypted messaging to communicate with clients. Investigators recovered vials of ketamine, methamphetamine, and other drugs from her home during the search.
Prosecutors also emphasized the text messages recovered from Sangha's phone. In exchanges with associates, she discussed her drug sales in casual terms, treating the transactions as routine business. One exchange showed her learning about the prior overdose of a customer and expressing concern not for the person's welfare but for her own legal exposure.
Sangha's defense attorney argued for a significantly shorter sentence, telling the court that Sangha did not intend for anyone to die and that she was not the only person responsible for Perry's death. The defense emphasized that multiple individuals, including two medical doctors, played direct roles in getting ketamine to Perry.
Defense counsel also presented character letters and asked the judge to consider Sangha's personal history, including what they described as a difficult upbringing. They argued that a sentence closer to 10 years would be sufficient.
Judge Garnett was not persuaded. In imposing the 15-year term, the judge noted the seriousness of the offense and the fact that a man had died as a direct result of the drug distribution chain Sangha helped sustain.
Members of Matthew Perry's family were present for the sentencing and delivered victim impact statements. His mother, Suzanne Morrison, and his stepfather, Keith Morrison, both spoke about the devastation Perry's death caused.
Suzanne Morrison described her son as someone who had fought hard against addiction and who had been open about his struggles in hopes of helping others. She told the court that the people who supplied him with ketamine exploited his vulnerability for money.
"Matthew was trying so hard. He wanted to live. These people took that from him."
The family's presence underscored a dimension of the case that extended well beyond legal procedure. Perry had spoken publicly about his battles with substance abuse, including in a 2022 memoir. His openness made him a symbol of both the promise and the peril of recovery, and his death landed with particular force among fans who had followed his journey.
The Perry investigation marked one of the most high-profile federal drug cases tied to a celebrity death in recent years. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada, who oversaw the prosecution, said at a press conference earlier in the case that the charges should serve as a warning to anyone involved in the illegal distribution of controlled substances.
"We are not going to look the other way while drug dealers and corrupt medical professionals prey on people struggling with addiction."
Estrada's office pursued the case aggressively from the start, securing cooperation from several defendants and building a paper trail that connected Sangha's drug sales directly to Perry's death. The investigation drew on phone records, text messages, financial transactions, and physical evidence seized from multiple locations.
The involvement of two licensed physicians added a layer of institutional failure to the case. Prosecutors argued that Dr. Plasencia and Dr. Chavez abused the trust placed in them as medical professionals, using their prescribing privileges to funnel ketamine outside legitimate medical channels. Their cases raised questions about oversight of physicians who operate on the fringes of legitimate practice.
Ketamine occupies an unusual position in the pharmaceutical landscape. It is a Schedule III controlled substance, approved for use as an anesthetic and, in certain formulations, for treatment-resistant depression. In recent years, a booming market of ketamine clinics has emerged across the country, offering infusions and prescriptions for mental health conditions.
That legitimate medical use has created a gray zone that dealers like Sangha exploited. Prosecutors said she obtained ketamine through illicit channels and sold it at a markup to clients who wanted the drug for recreational use or self-medication outside any clinical setting. The Perry case highlighted how easily the drug can move from quasi-medical contexts into dangerous, unmonitored use.
Perry himself had been receiving ketamine infusion therapy from a licensed provider for depression and anxiety. Investigators determined that the ketamine in his system at the time of death did not come from his authorized treatments but from the illicit supply chain that ran through Sangha.
Sangha's 15-year sentence is the longest imposed among the five defendants charged in Perry's death. She will receive credit for time served since her arrest. Sentencing for the remaining defendants who have not yet been sentenced is expected in the coming months.
Federal prosecutors have not indicated whether the investigation will expand beyond the five charged defendants. Investigators have not publicly confirmed whether additional individuals were involved in Sangha's distribution network beyond those already named in court filings.
The case now moves into its final procedural stages. Whether Sangha will appeal her sentence remains to be seen. Her defense team did not immediately comment on plans for an appeal following the hearing.
When the people trusted to heal and the people willing to deal both feed the same fatal habit, the system has a problem that no single sentence can fix. But 15 years in a federal prison cell is, at minimum, a start.
