After more than two years of investigating “Friends” actor Matthew Perry’s death, the case finally came to a close on April 27 after the prosecution handed charges to the last of the five people who were accessories that led to the actor’s death on October 28, 2023, at age 54.
Let’s get to know the five convicted people who pleaded guilty to playing roles in supplying ketamine to Perry.
Kenneth Iwamasa, 61, long-time friend/personal assistant
On Wednesday, April 27, authorities sentenced Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s personal assistant, to three years and five months in federal lock-up due to his involvement in giving ketamine to the actor, acting as his messenger.
Reports said in the days leading to Perry’s death, Iwamasa gave him more than 25 shots of the drug, including three injections on the day of his death, AFP reported.
During the investigation, Iwamasa, who is also Perry’s long-time friend, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
Jasveen Sangha, 42, “The Ketamine Queen”
During the investigation, Jasveen Sangha admitted to selling Perry the dose of ketamine he took before he died.
She pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of ketamine, one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury, and one count of using her home for drug distribution.
The prosecution handed her 15 years in prison. During her sentence, Sangha admitted that what she did were “horrible decisions” which “shattered people’s lives and the lives of their family and friends”.
Erik Fleming, 56, drug addiction counsellor
Erik Fleming was a drug addition counselor when he met Perry.
A former television and film producer, Fleming had his experience with drugs, which were the reason for his downfall in the entertainment industry.
After gaining sobriety, he worked as a counsellor. However, by the time he was approached about Perry, he had relapsed and introduced the actor to Sangha.
Investigation revealed that Fleming delivered 50 vials of ketamine from Sangha for Perry and made a profit from it.
He was the first to appear in court and the first to plead guilty to one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. The prosecution sentenced him to two years.
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Salvador Plasencia, 44, “Dr. P”
Salvador Plasencia, also known by his patients as Dr P, was among the prosecution’s primary targets and had been set to stand trial alongside Sangha before reaching a plea agreement last year.
Perry and Plasencia had known each other through another patient. During Perry’s struggles, his regular doctor prescribed him ketamine to treat depression, but he wanted more than what was prescribed and got connected with Plasencia.
The investigation revealed that Plasencia admitted to injecting Perry with some of the initial vials he provided and left more for Iwamasa to inject.
He pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, with authorities serving him two and a half years in prison.
Mark Chavez, 55, San Diego doctor
Mark Chavez is a doctor from San Diego who owns a ketamine clinic. AFP reported that Chavez’s clinic was where Plasencia got the doses he sold to Perry.
He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and was handed eight months of home confinement.
Remembering Matthew Perry
Following his death in 2023, tributes poured in from across Hollywood and from millions of fans worldwide, who remembered him as he brought life to his “Friends” role as Chandler Bing.
But, aside from the legacy he left in the entertainment industry, people remembered him for his openness about addiction and recovery struggles.
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Shameeka Voyiya 
Newsjustnews writers 
Mary Mae Balasanos