Jasveen Sangha Faces Up To 65 Years in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Providing Drugs That Killed Matthew Perry

A North Hollywood woman known as the “Ketamine Queen” pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to providing the ketamine that killed “Friends” star Matthew Perry in October 2023, becoming the final defendant to admit culpability in the actor’s overdose death.

Jasveen Sangha, 42, entered guilty pleas to five federal charges: one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The dual U.S.-U.K. citizen faces a potential maximum sentence of 65 years in federal prison when she is sentenced in the coming months. She has been in federal custody since her arrest in August 2024.

According to court documents and Sangha’s plea agreement, she worked with Erik Fleming, 55, of Hawthorne, to knowingly distribute ketamine to Perry, whose struggles with drug addiction were well documented. In October 2023, Sangha and Fleming sold Perry 51 vials of ketamine, which were provided to Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s live-in personal assistant.

Leading up to Perry’s death on October 28, 2023, Iwamasa repeatedly injected the actor with ketamine that Sangha had supplied. On the day Perry died, Iwamasa administered at least three shots of Sangha’s ketamine, which caused the fatal overdose, prosecutors said.

Sangha was the final defendant in a five-person conspiracy that prosecutors say exploited Perry’s addiction for profit. The other defendants have all previously pleaded guilty.

Perry was found unresponsive in the pool at his Pacific Palisades home. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined that the 54-year-old actor died from the “acute effects of ketamine.”

Cover-Up Attempts

After learning of Perry’s death through news reports, Sangha immediately contacted Fleming on the encrypted messaging app Signal to discuss how to distance themselves from the tragedy. That same day, she updated her Signal settings to automatically delete messages with Fleming and instructed him to “Delete all our messages,” according to the Justice Department.

Two days later, Fleming left Sangha a voicemail expressing concern about their exposure, asking whether ketamine would remain detectable in toxicology screenings.

Sangha operated what prosecutors described as a “drug-selling emporium” from her North Hollywood residence, where she had been storing, packaging, and distributing narcotics since at least June 2019. Federal investigators say she earned her nickname by specializing in ketamine sales, often to Hollywood celebrities.

Court documents indicate Sangha had previously been involved in the entertainment industry through art curation, event planning, and music. However, authorities allege her primary occupation was as a high-volume drug dealer.

When law enforcement searched her North Hollywood home in March 2023, they discovered an extensive drug operation, including 1.7 kilograms of pressed methamphetamine pills, 79 vials of liquid ketamine, MDMA tablets, counterfeit Xanax pills, powdered ketamine and cocaine, a gold money counting machine, scales, and $5,723 in cash.

Previous Fatal Sale

In her plea agreement, Sangha also admitted to selling four vials of ketamine to Cody McLaury in August 2019. McLaury died of a drug overdose just hours after the purchase, demonstrating Sangha’s awareness of the drug’s deadly potential years before Perry’s death.

Sangha was the final defendant in a five-person conspiracy that prosecutors say exploited Perry’s addiction for profit. The other defendants have all previously pleaded guilty.

This story was aggregated by AI from several news reports and edited by American Kahani’s News Desk.