The woman who admitted to selling the ketamine that led to Matthew Perry’s death has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, along with three years of supervised release.
Jasveen Sangha, also known as the ‘Ketamine Queen’ among her customers, pled guilty to five federal charges related to the Friends star’s fatal overdose in 2023.
Sangha has been in federal custody since her arrest in August 2024.
In a court filing from March 25, federal prosecutors recommended a sentence of 15 years in prison.
The document submitted by attorneys from the Central District of California described Sangha as a ‘drug dealer who sold drugs that hurt people.’
When it was revealed that she had sold the drugs responsible for Perry’s death, the prosecutors stated that ‘she didn’t care and kept selling.’
On October 28, 2023, Perry was found unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Pacific Palisades home and was declared dead at the scene.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office later determined that Perry’s death was caused by an accidental ketamine overdose.
The prosecutors also wrote in the filing that ‘Sangha’s actions show a cold callousness and disregard for life. She chose profits over people, and her actions have caused immense pain to the victims’ families and loved ones.’
Sangha’s defense team argued that she has ‘acknowledged her role in serious criminal behavior’ and requested the court to consider a sentence based on time already served.
‘She does not minimize that conduct or the gravity of the consequences charged in this case,’ the lawyers added.
According to the U.S. attorneys handling the case, Sangha collaborated with Erik Fleming to supply ketamine to Perry.
In the same month that Perry passed away, Sangha and Fleming sold 51 vials of ketamine to the actor, which were then handed over to Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s personal assistant, prosecutors said.
Iwamasa administered the ketamine to Perry on several occasions leading up to the fatal overdose, including at least three injections on the day of his death, according to the prosecution.
After hearing about Perry’s death in news reports, Sangha contacted Fleming via the encrypted messaging app Signal.
She instructed him, ‘Delete all our messages.’
In August 2024, Fleming admitted to charges of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distributing the drug, which led to a death.
Similarly, Iwamasa pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to ketamine distribution resulting in death, with both men scheduled for sentencing later this month.
Sangha pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including maintaining a drug-involved property, distributing ketamine three times, and distributing the drug, which led to death or serious injury.
Prosecutors revealed she had been using her residence as a base for storing, packaging, and distributing narcotics, such as ketamine and methamphetamine, since at least 2019.
Perry battled addiction for many years, a struggle that intensified during his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing.
His rise to fame alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer on the iconic Friends sitcom from 1994 to 2004 was overshadowed by personal struggles.
Perry openly admitted that his addiction issues frequently interfered with his work during those years.
