In the case of Matthew Perry’s death, the ‘Ketamine Queen’ has been sentenced to 15 years
This is according to The Guardian.
Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen”, became the fifth defendant to reach a plea deal and admit guilt in the case surrounding the death of the “Friends” star. She received the harshest sentence.
Federal prosecutors had sought a 15-year prison sentence for her due to her role in the deaths of Matthew Perry and another person. In the case documents, they highlighted the scale of Sangha’s illegal activities and her callous reaction to the deaths in which, in their view, she was implicated.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Sangha told the judge that she felt ashamed of her actions. She said that these were not mistakes, but terrible decisions that had ruined the lives of many people and their families. The maximum sentence she faced was 65 years in prison.
Matthew Perry died in October 2023 at the age of 54. Officials determined that the primary cause of death was ketamine, which is used as a surgical anaesthetic. The actor had struggled with addiction for years and had previously obtained ketamine legally to treat depression. However, when his doctor refused to prescribe the drug in the quantities he wanted, Perry began looking for other sources.
In total, charges were brought against five people in the case. These include two doctors – Salvador Plascencia and Mark Chavez – the actor’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasu, who administered the drug to him before his death, Perry’s acquaintance Eric Fleming, and Jasvin Sanghu.
The doctors did not supply the ketamine that caused Perry’s death. However, the judge told Plascencia that he and the other defendants had helped drive the actor towards his death by continuing to fuel his ketamine addiction.
Sangha, who is 42, admitted that she had supplied the actor with approximately 50 vials of ketamine prior to his death. Fleming acted as an intermediary in this scheme.
As part of her plea deal, Sangha also confirmed that since 2019 she had been selling drugs, including ketamine and methamphetamine, from her home in North Hollywood. She also admitted to selling ketamine to 33-year-old Cody McLory, who died in 2019 shortly after purchasing the drug, as well as to Perry. Prosecutors specifically noted that she continued to deal even after learning of their deaths.
In court documents, the prosecution stated that Sangha’s actions demonstrated cold indifference and contempt for human life. Prosecutors also noted that she came from a wealthy background, studied at a prestigious university, obtained a master’s degree and, according to their account, sold drugs out of greed, a desire for glamour and a wish to gain access to a certain social circle.
The defence, for its part, insisted that Sangha had taken responsibility and had not downplayed her own role. She was represented by prominent lawyers Mark Geragos and Alexandra Kazarian, who stated that she had no criminal record and had participated in treatment and rehabilitation programmes whilst in custody. The defence requested her release, taking into account the time already served.
The lawyers also emphasised that Sangha had been sober for two years, was consistently participating in recovery programmes and had strong community support, which, in their view, reduced the risk of reoffending.
Matthew Perry’s family, on the other hand, asked the court to impose the maximum sentence. The actor’s stepmother, Debbie Perry, stated that the pain Sangha had caused was irreversible and asked for her to be given the maximum sentence so that she could not harm other families.
The actor’s stepfather, Keith Morrison, a Dateline correspondent, told the court that he and Perry’s mother, Susanna, live with a daily, crushing grief. In his words, Perry had a spark that he had never seen anywhere else, and the actor should have lived through many more important stages of his life.
