Indian American Jasveen Sangha Pleads Not Guilty to Charges in Matthew Perry’s Fatal Drug Overdose Case

North Hollywood socialite Jasveen Sangha, dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,” has pleaded not guilty to the charges in connection to the death of actor Mathew Perry. The 41-year-old a dual U.S. and U.K. citizen of Indian origin who appeared in court on Aug. 15, is among five people arrested earlier this month. 

Sangha sold Perry around 50 vials of ketamine for $11,000, including those that led to his death, according to the Department of Justice. Her bail request was however denied, and she will remain in custody until her Oct. 8 trial. If convicted of all charges, she would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Sangha operated out of her home in North Hollywood, called the “Sangha Stash House” in the indictment, where she sold dangerous drugs, including ketamine and methamphetamine. She primarily dealt with high-end and celebrity clients like the “friends” actor. 

Perry, 54, who had long battled anxiety and depression after overcoming severe addiction in his 30s, was reportedly in a positive state of mind at the time of his death. However, his untimely death prompted an investigation into the sources of the ketamine found in his system.

Ketamine, a short-acting anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, is sometimes prescribed to treat depression and anxiety but is also frequently abused by recreational users.

Sangha was first arrested and charged with drug offenses in March 2023, after her home was raided, uncovering a stash of thousands of pills, three pounds of meth, mushrooms, cocaine, and dozens of vials of ketamine, according to the indictment. She had been out on a $100,000 bond since the March arrest, which was related to a prior, unrelated case.

But she still continued to flaunt her alleged drug connections in social media posts in July, the DoJ claimed. Daily Mail reported that she was “brazenly posting on social media about magic mushrooms as recently as last month.” 

She recently celebrated her 41st birthday at a Hollywood bar with friends. Los Angeles realtor Greg Wasik told DailyMail.com that he was shocked to learn his friend of several years had been indicted for selling drugs that killed Perry, and that she seemed normal and serene when she celebrated with friends at a bar in Hollywood just days ago. “I was at her birthday party just the other day and there was no inkling of anything like this going on in her life,” he said. 

Her Sangha’s friends the New York Post Friday that Sangha acted “carefree” after Perry’s death and maintained an active social life. “If anything, she became more social in the past few months,” a longtime pal said. “She seemed carefree like she didn’t have a worry in the world.” The friend added that Sangha was “always up for parties or dinner or just hanging out.” “She put on a brave face, considering what she knew was coming,” the source said. “She acted like it was no big deal at all.”

Interior designer Clancy Carter, who has known Sangha since 2008, told The US Sun that her friend has “never been the type of person who needed money.” She has “a family that cares for her, has property in the UK,” and she’s “always traveling and doing fun things with her family,” Carter said. “I would never guess she would do something like this at all.” Carter also told the British tabloid that Sangha attended the Golden Globes and the Oscars. 

News reports said that less than two weeks after Perry died, Sangha traveled to Japan, according to photos posted to her Instagram account, now set to private. On her Instagram page, Sangha described herself as a “curator” of arts, events and music, and claimed to have graduated from Hult Business School with a Master’s degree in 2010, news reports said. 

The US Sun noted that “just hours before her arrest, she boasted about a new haircut where she showed of flowing purple and pink highlights in her hair.” The Independent reported that she “appears to have enjoyed taking lavish vacations and club hopping in L.A. with friends, and “some A-list actors notorious for their addiction problems.” She has also frequently posted photos of designer wear including shoes by Louis Vuitton and clothes from Chanel. 

Sangha was listed as the “chief financial officer” of the Stiletto Nail Bar in Studio City, according to NBC News. The salon, which opened in 2015 and is believed to have shut two years later, The Sun reported. It’s unclear what caused the business to close.

Though there’s no information on Sangha’s parents, DailyMail.com reported today that her mother Nilem, and stepfather Ashok Sahadevan got into legal trouble over their five KFC restaurants in California. The couple ran a group of KFC franchises in California from 2008, the publication said, “but ended up getting sued by both the state and the Louisville-based chain for allegedly playing fast and loose with payments.” Their company, Tasty Birds Management, “was subject to legal complaints in 2010 for failing to pay employees at a KFC outlet in Eureka for vacation hours, overtime, and lunch breaks,” the report said. 

This is not the first time that Sangha has been connected to a ketamine-related death. In August 2019, she allegedly sold ketamine to Cody McLaury hours before he overdosed. According to the DOJ, when one of McLaury’s family members texted Sangha letting her know the ketamine she’d sold McLaury had killed him, Sangha then Googled: “Can ketamine be listed as a cause of death?”