Matthew Perry’s assistant and doctors charged with getting him ketamine

Matthew Perry’s personal assistant, two doctors and two others have been indicted and charged with providing the ketamine that caused the death of Perry, a star on the television show “Friends,” authorities said Thursday.

In documents filed in federal court in California, prosecutors said that Perry’s assistant and an acquaintance had worked with two doctors and a drug dealer to procure tens of thousands of dollars worth of ketamine for Perry, who had long struggled with substance abuse and addiction.

The actor, who gained sitcom superstardom as Chandler Bing on “Friends,” was discovered floating face down in a hot tub at his home in Los Angeles on Oct. 28. The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office said in an autopsy report that Perry, 54, had died of “acute effects of ketamine.”

An indictment filed in federal court Wednesday detailed grand jury charges against Jasveen Sangha, who prosecutors said was known as “the Ketamine Queen,” and Salvador Plasencia, known as “Dr. P.”

Sangha maintained a “stash house” in North Hollywood, the indictment said, and Plasencia, a physician at an urgent care center, was among those who worked to get the ketamine to Perry despite knowing he had a history of drug abuse.

Court documents say that Perry’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, injected him with at least 27 shots of ketamine in the five days leading up to his death, including at least three on the day he died.

An indictment said that the defendants used coded language to discuss drug deals, referring to bottles of ketamine as “Dr Pepper,” “cans” and “bots.”

‘How much will this moron pay’

And it said that when Plasencia texted with another doctor about how much to charge Perry for ketamine, he wrote, “I wonder how much this moron will pay” and “Lets find out.”

Ketamine, a powerful anesthetic with psychedelic properties, is increasingly being used as an alternative therapy for depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. It is also used, and abused, recreationally.

Three people have already pleaded guilty in the case, officials said.

Iwamasa pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death.

Mark Chavez, a doctor who admitted to selling ketamine to Plasencia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Chavez obtained ketamine by making false representations to a wholesale ketamine distributor and by submitting a fraudulent prescription in the name of a former patient, officials said.

Erik Fleming, an acquaintance of Perry’s, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death, officials said. They said he admitted to obtaining the ketamine from Sangha and distributing 50 vials of ketamine to Iwamasa.

“We’re sending a clear message,” Martin Estrada, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said at a Thursday news conference in downtown Los Angeles.

“If you are in the business of selling dangerous drugs, we will hold you accountable for the deaths that you cause.”

The charges against Sangha and Plasencia include conspiracy to distribute ketamine; distribution of ketamine resulting in death; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and altering and falsifying records related to a federal investigation.

If they are convicted, Sangha, 41, faces between 10 years and life in prison while Plasencia, 42, faces up to 10 years in prison for each ketamine-related count and up to 20 years for each count of falsifying records.

Iwamasa, 59, faces up to 15 years in prison and Fleming, 54, up to 25 years. Chavez, 54, has been charged in an information pursuant to a plea agreement and will be arraigned Aug. 30; he faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

Anne Milgram, the head of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, said at the news conference that Perry had sought treatment for depression and anxiety and, after visiting a local clinic, had become addicted to intravenous ketamine.

Perry wrote about his history of drug and alcohol addiction in a memoir. Officials declined to explain whether the ketamine treatment he initially received was legitimate and would not say how he became connected to Plasencia and Chavez.

“When clinic doctors refused to increase his dosage, he turned to unscrupulous doctors who saw Perry as a way to make quick money,” Milgram said of the actor. “Dr. Plasencia and Dr. Chavez violated the oath they took to care for their patients. Instead of do no harm, they did harm so that they could make more money.”

The autopsy report said that Perry had been on ketamine infusion therapy but that the level of ketamine found in his blood was equivalent to the amount that would be used during general anesthesia.

Plasencia was accused in the indictment of misleading officials about Perry’s treatment. Prosecutors said he “provided a falsified document purportedly showing the medical treatment plan for Victim M.P.” that claimed he was being given a maximum dose of 60 milligrams over 24 hours. They added that, “in fact, as defendant Plasencia then well knew, defendant Plasencia injected Victim M.P. with ketamine dosages far in excess of 60 milligrams.”

Police in Los Angeles acknowledged this year that they were working with the DEA to investigate the source of Perry’s ketamine and whether it was obtained legally. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service assisted with the investigation.

“The Postal Service will not be an unwitting accomplice to anyone using the U.S. mail to distribute illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia,” said Matthew Shields, the acting inspector in charge of the service’s Los Angeles division.

In the weeks leading to Perry’s death, the indictment and law enforcement officials said, Plasencia sold roughly $55,000 worth of ketamine to Iwamasa and personally injected Perry with the drug at Perry’s residence.

During one visit, a large dose caused Perry to “freeze up,” prosecutors said, causing the doctor to advise against a similarly sized injection in the future. Plasencia also injected Perry with ketamine while inside a vehicle in a public parking lot in Long Beach, California, according to court papers.

At one point, the doctors charged Perry $2,000 for a vial of ketamine that cost Chavez roughly $12, Milgram said.

Court documents also outlined the days leading up to Perry’s death.

Fleming, who shared a mutual friend with Perry, texted him offering to sell him ketamine for a “good price” as long as he received a “fair tip for bringing it.” Fleming later told Iwamasa that his source, Sangha, dealt with “high end” celebrities.

“I guarantee it’s going to be amazing,” Fleming texted Iwamasa.

Fleming delivered a sample vial to Perry’s home, and then Iwamasa agreed to buy 25 vials, advancing Fleming $500 for “logistics.” He delivered 25 more vials Oct. 24, four days before Perry’s death.

In March, Sangha was charged with possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute; she has pleaded not guilty. Law enforcement raided her home in North Hollywood that month, seizing 79 bottles of liquid ketamine and nearly 2,000 methamphetamine pills, along with other drugs, according to court documents.

The two doctors charged in Perry’s death have known each other for years, one of them said in a post on social media.

Chavez has built a brand for himself as what he calls “The Health MD,” describing himself online as a longevity coach, medical doctor, entrepreneur and fitness trailblazer. Having started his career as a medical chemist, Chavez recently listed himself as a medical director at a company specializing in regenerative medicine. His website offers a 12-week weight loss program for $1,500 involving the drug Ozempic.

Plasencia described Chavez on LinkedIn as a mentor of his for 15 years, writing that Chavez had been “extremely helpful to me as I navigated my own path as a medical entrepreneur.”

Jill Cowan contributed reporting from Los Angeles, Julia Jacobs from New York and Glenn Thrush from Washington. Kirsten Noyes contributed research.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.