LOS ANGELES – Five people, including two doctors, are charged in connection with ‘Friends’ actor Matthew Perry’s deadly drug overdose last year. As Emily’s Hope previously reported, Perry died from a ketamine overdose in October 2023.
Doctor Salvador Plasencia, a.k.a. “Dr. P” of Santa Monica, along with Dr. Mark Chavez of San Diego, are facing charges, along with Jasveen Sangha, a.k.a. “The Ketamine Queen,” Eric Fleming, and Kenneth Iwamasa.
Case Details:
- According to a recently unsealed indictment, Dr. Plasencia learned of Perry’s interest in ketamine in late September 2023 and contacted Dr. Chavez, who previously operated a ketamine clinic. They discussed pricing for Perry in text messages, with Plasencia suggesting, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.”
- Court documents also allege that during September and October of 2023, Plasencia then distributed ketamine to Perry and Iwamasa outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose at least seven times. “He did so by teaching Iwamasa how to inject Perry with ketamine, selling ketamine to Iwamasa to inject into Perry, leaving vials of ketamine with Iwamasa for self-administration, personally injecting ketamine into Perry without the proper safety equipment – including once inside a car parked in a Long Beach parking lot – and failing to properly monitor Perry after Plasencia injected Perry with the drug,” a press release from U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California reads.
- Dr. Chavez is accused of selling Plasencia ketamine lozenges through fraudulent prescriptions and obtaining additional vials of liquid ketamine under false pretenses for distribution to Perry.
- By mid-October 2023, Iwamasa also procured ketamine from Fleming and Sangha for Perry. On October 28, 2023, Iwamasa is accused of using Plasencia-provided instructions and syringes to inject Perry with ketamine when he died. Plasencia sold the ketamine to Iwamasa despite being informed at least one week earlier that Perry’s ketamine addiction was spiraling out of control.
Post-Death Actions:
- Following Perry’s death, Sangha instructed Fleming via text to “delete all our messages.”
- In February and March 2024, Plasencia allegedly submitted falsified medical records in response to a legal document request, claiming a legitimate treatment plan for Perry to influence the federal investigation.
Potential Sentences:
- Jasveen Sangha faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in federal prison.
- Dr. Salvador Plasencia could receive up to 10 years per ketamine-related count and up to 20 years for records falsification.
- Kenneth Iwamasa and Eric Fleming face up to 15 and 25 years, respectively.
- Dr. Mark Chavez has been charged under a plea agreement and will be arraigned on August 30, facing up to 10 years in federal prison.