Court dates have officially been set for the trial of “Ketamine Queen” Jasveen Sangha and Dr. Salvador Plasencia, two of the alleged ketamine suppliers connected to the October 2023 death of Friends star Matthew Perry (Fools Rush In, The Whole Nine Yards). According to Deadline, U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett has scheduled the duo’s joint trial to start on March 4, 2025.
Sangha and Plasencia were arrested by the feds on August 15, along with three other people in the investigation of Perry’s drug-induced death. Filings by U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada allege that the group “took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves.”
According to a superseding indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Sangha allegedly maintained a “stash house” in Hollywood where law enforcement discovered thousands of dollars worth of illegal drugs. She has been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine and five counts of distribution of ketamine.
Plasencia allegedly obtained ketamine from his friend, Dr. Mark Chavez, and then passed it on to Perry. He has been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records.
“If convicted of all charges, Sangha would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment,” said U.S. Attorney Estrada via Deadline. “Plasencia would face up to 10 years in federal prison for each ketamine-related count and up to 20 years in federal prison for each records falsification count.”
Sangha is currently in custody, but Plasencia is out on bond. Both have entered not guilty pleas.
As for Chavez, he is out on a $500,000 bond. The doctor initially pleaded not guilty but is expected to sign a plea deal before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jean Rosenbluth on October 2.
The two other defendants, Erik Fleming, another one of Perry’s distributors, and the actor’s ex-live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, who allegedly injected Perry with ketamine on multiple occasions, are also both out on bond. Fleming’s hearing is set for October 30, and Iwamasa’s is for November 6.
Perry had a well-documented decades-long battle with addiction, which he discussed in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. According to Deadline, the charged doctors knew about this addiction and sought to take advantage of it. In a text message about the actor, Plasencia wrote to Chavez, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.”