A woman accused of distributing the ketamine that led to Matthew Perry’s death in October 2023 has reached a plea agreement, federal prosecutors announced.
Jasveen Sangha, labeled the “Ketamine Queen” by federal authorities, will plead guilty to 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 a U.S. Department of Justice press release on Monday, Aug. 18.
Sangha, a dual citizen of the U.S. and U.K., has been in federal custody since August 2024. The 42-year-old is expected to formally enter her guilty plea in the coming weeks, avoiding a scheduled trial. She is the fifth and final defendant to plead guilty or agree to plead guilty in connection with the actor’s overdose. Prosecutors noted she could face decades in federal prison.
Prosecutors said Sangha supplied drugs to Erik Fleming, an acquaintance of Perry, who then distributed them to Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. Fleming acted as an intermediary between Sangha and Iwamasa.
According to the justice department, Fleming received 50 vials from Sangha and provided them to Perry’s assistant, who admitted to “repeatedly” injecting the actor. The indictment, reviewed by PEOPLE, also stated that Sangha allowed Fleming to take a sample for Perry to try.
On Oct. 28, 2023, Iwamasa injected Perry with at least three doses of Sangha’s ketamine, leading to his death, according to the plea agreement cited by prosecutors.
“After learning from news reports of Perry’s death, Sangha called Fleming on Signal to discuss how to distance themselves from it,” the press release states. “That day, Sangha updated the settings on the Signal apps to automatically delete her messages with Fleming. She further instructed Fleming to ‘Delete all our messages.'”
Perry was found face down in his jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home that night. An autopsy determined he died from acute effects of ketamine, with other contributing factors including drowning, coronary artery disease, and effects from buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder. The Friends star was 54.
Prosecutors said Sangha, who operated a stash house in North Hollywood, also admitted to possessing various drugs with intent to distribute, many of which were seized during a March 2023 raid.
“She further admitted to using her North Hollywood residence to store, package, and distribute narcotics, including ketamine and methamphetamine, since at least June 2019,” the release states.
The other four defendants who have pleaded guilty in connection with Perry’s death include Iwamasa, Fleming, and doctors Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia. Sentencing for all defendants is expected in the coming weeks.
Additionally, Sangha admitted to selling four vials of ketamine to Cody McLaury, a separate victim, in August 2019. McLaury died hours later from a drug overdose.
