A personal assistant of the late actor Matthew Perry, two doctors, and two other individuals have been charged with providing him the doses of ketamine that caused his death on October 28, when his body was found in his home in Los Angeles, allegedly drowned.
According to the New York Times, in documents presented in a federal court in California, prosecutors said that the mentioned assistant and a known individual "had worked with two doctors and a drug dealer to obtain ketamine worth tens of thousands of dollars for Perry, who had long struggled with substance abuse and addiction."
The remembered Chandler Bing from the series Friends was found floating face down in a jacuzzi at his home. After the usual investigation, the local coroner's office revealed that the actor had died due to the "acute effects of ketamine."
"The day Matthew Perry died, his personal assistant (Kenneth Iwamasa) gave him his first morning ketamine injection around 8:30 am," the newspaper narrates. About four hours later, while the actor was watching a movie, the assistant administered another injection, and just 40 minutes later, Perry requested another, according to Iwamasa, who signed a plea agreement.
Regarding the last occasion, the assistant revealed that Perry asked him: "Pour me a big drink," and asked him to prepare his jacuzzi.
The court documents indicate that Iwamasa injected him with at least 27 doses of ketamine in the five days leading up to his death. Both he and the other defendants used coded language to discuss transactions involving the painkiller, referring to it as "Dr. Pepper" or "cans."
The accusation, filed in a federal court on Wednesday, also implicates Jasveen Sangha, a 41-year-old woman residing in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, who according to the prosecution, "has distributed ketamine and other illegal drugs from her base of operations" since at least 2019. Known as "the Queen of Ketamine," she "only dealt with high-profile individuals and celebrities."
Another accused is Dr. Salvador Plasencia, a physician at an emergency center, who was supplying ketamine to Matthew Perry. There is also Dr. Mark Chavez, who admitted to having sold ketamine to Plasencia and pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute the substance.
The tax report details that on one occasion, Plasencia sent a text message to Chavez about the sale of ketamine to Perry and wrote: "I wonder how much this idiot will pay" and "We’ll find out."
The fifth detainee is a known associate of the actor, Erik Fleming, who admitted his guilt for "conspiracy to distribute ketamine" and having supplied Iwamasa with up to 50 vials.
If found guilty, the five defendants face sentences ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment in the case of the trafficker Jasveen Sangha.
"They took advantage of Mr. Perry's addiction problems to enrich themselves. They knew that what they were doing was wrong. They cared more about profiting at Mr. Perry's expense than about worrying about his well-being," said Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, at a press conference.
"We are sending a clear message. If you are in the business of selling dangerous drugs, we will hold you accountable for the deaths you cause," he emphasized.
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