U.S. Attorney’s Office Identifies Key Suspects in Matthew Perry Death Case

More people have been named and charged in the criminal investigation into actor Matthew Perry’s death in late October 2023.

Related: LAPD Believes Actor Matthew Perry Killed to “Keep Him Quiet”: Report

Long Time Coming: Arrests Finally Made

On Thursday morning, as originally projected earlier this week, major news networks began to report that arrests had been made in connection with the accidental death of 54-year-old actor Matthew Perry, who was found face down and unresponsive in the hot tub at his Los Angeles area home in late October 2023.

Though multiple people have been questioned in the investigation, including Brooke Mueller, the ex-wife of actor Charlie Sheen, it was unclear exactly who had been charged in the case, as investigators stated that court documents would be unsealed on Thursday afternoon, revealing more details about those who were arrested and the charges they face.

Related: Second Celebrity Noted in Matthew Perry Death Investigation Was a “Walking Pharmacy” Alongside Perry

Perry’s Death Ruled an Accident

Initially, Perry’s autopsy was deferred, but in December 2023, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner finalized the autopsy report, which indicated that the Friends actor died of “acute ketamine effects,” referring to the powerful dissociative drug ketamine, only days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an urgent warning about the drug.

His death was ruled an accident by the L.A. County coroner.

But the amount of ketamine in Perry’s system raised eyebrows. It was known that Perry had been receiving ketamine infusion therapy, as prescribed by his doctor, for the treatment of depression and anxiety. But more than a week had elapsed since Perry’s most recently prescribed treatment, and the amount of ketamine in his bloodstream was much higher than would be expected, given those parameters.

As such, a criminal investigation into Perry’s death was launched and was a joint effort by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

A Criminal Investigation Involves Numerous Interviews, Multiple Arrests

Since the criminal investigation into Perry’s death began, there has been broad speculation about who was being interviewed by authorities, who might be charged, and what charges might be brought against those allegedly responsible for supplying Perry with the final, fatal dose of ketamine.

On Thursday morning, some of those questions were answered, but only generally.

Authorities announced that arrests had been made and that charges had been brought against a number of people, though details about the identities of those people and the charges they faced were murky at best. Authorities further stated that court documents would be unsealed on Thursday afternoon, revealing more details about the associated arrests.

Court Documents Are Unsealed

The unsealed documents revealed scathing details about the arrests that were made in the case, the most notable of which include Matthew Perry’s personal assistant,

Those who were arrested on Thursday were charged in “an 18-count superseding indictment” with “distributing ketamine to Perry during the final weeks of the actor’s life,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Kenneth Iwamasa, Matthew Perry’s 59-year-old live-in personal assistant, was allegedly responsible for injecting the late actor with the powerful drug ketamine on the day of his death, according to the indictment. The syringe used by Iwamasa was allegedly supplied by Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who had “also distributed ketamine to Perry and his assistant in the past.”

Iwamasa pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death and said in court documents that he repeatedly injected Perry on the day of his death–and with no medical training whatsoever.

These arrests are in addition to the arrest of 41-year-old Jasveen Sangha, a known narcotics distributor, who had nine charges brought against her.

Charges Keep Coming

Sangha was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, and she was also charged with one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises. Additional charges against Sangha include one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of distribution of ketamine.

Related: “Multiple People” to Be Arrested in Matthew Perry Death Investigation

Plasencia was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, as well as seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the investigation.

According to the indictment, Sangha allegedly distributed the ketamine that killed Perry on October 24, 2023, just days before his death.

“These defendants cared more about profiting off of Mr. Perry than caring for his well-being,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Drug dealers selling dangerous substances are gambling with other people’s lives over greed. This case, along with our many other prosecutions of drug dealers who cause death, sends a clear message that we will hold drug dealers accountable for the deaths they cause.”

The LAPD and DEA Applaud the Efforts of the Investigation

LAPD Chief Dominic Choi echoed Estrada’s sentiments, saying the following:

Bringing these individuals to justice for their role in the untimely death of Mr. Perry required coordination and hard work by a number of people, and I want to thank LAPD detectives and our federal partners for their patience and dedication. As the boots on the ground in our communities, on a daily basis LAPD officers witness first-hand the harm that these narcotics can cause, so I’m pleased that our collective efforts have led to the arrest of these individuals.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration head, Anne Milgram, said that the individuals who were charged “played a key role in [Perry’s] death:

Today we announce charges brought against the five individuals who, together, are responsible for the death of Matthew Perry. We allege each of the defendants played a key role in his death by falsely prescribing, selling, or injecting the ketamine that caused Matthew Perry’s tragic death.

Matthew Perry’s journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday, to street dealers who gave him ketamine in unmarked vials. Every day, the DEA works tirelessly with our federal, state, and local partners to protect the public and to hold accountable those that distribute deadly and dangerous drugs–whether they are local drug traffickers or doctors who violate their sworn oath to care for patients.

Two additional individuals were charged, per the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

• Eric Fleming, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. He further admitted in court documents that he distributed the ketamine that took Perry’s life. Further, Fleming stated that he obtained the drug from Sangha and then distributed 50 vials of the powerful dissociative sedative to Perry’s personal assistant.

• Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He admitted to selling the drug to Dr. Plasencia–ketamine that he “diverted from his former ketamine clinic.” He further admitted to submitting a fraudulent prescription in the name of a former patient without that individual’s consent.

According to the indictment, those responsible for initially obtaining the ketamine for Matthew Perry began doing so in mid-October.

As this is a developing story, more details will be shared as they are made available.