Matthew Perry�s Aide Injected Him With Fatal Ketamine: Feds
THE ONE WITH THE KETAMINE QUEEN

The Department of Justice revealed Thursday that Perry�s �live-in�
assistant would inject Perry with ketamine despite having no medical
training.
Eboni Boykin-Patterson
Eboni Boykin-Patterson

Entertainment Reporter
Updated Aug. 15, 2024 2:35PM EDT / Published Aug. 15, 2024 2:07PM EDT
Actor Matthew Perry
REUTERS

Matthew Perry�s live-in assistant injected him with the ketamine which
killed him, federal prosectors alleged Thursday.

The revelation came as prosecutors revealed five people have been arrested
over his death, including a woman nicknamed the �ketamine queen of Los
Angeles�, and a doctor, all of them accused of feeding off the Friends
star�s addiction to make themselves rich.

Perry, 54, was found by the same assistant who injected him. He was face-
down in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home last October.

After an autopsy revealed that the actor died from the acute effects of
ketamine, an extensive investigation was launched to uncover the source of
the drug.

Mart�n Estrada, the United States attorney for the Central District of
California, announced during the conference Thursday that federal criminal
charges have been filed against five defendants in connection with Perry�s
death. This comes after news broke Thursday that arrests had been made in
the investigation. Estrada said Perry�s death investigation �revealed a
broad, underground criminal network responsible for distributing large
quantities of ketamine to Mr. Perry and others.�

That network, Estrada said, included Perry�s �live-in assistant,� Kenneth
Iwamasa. Iwamasa�s LinkedIn page describes his role as �executive assistant
to personal manager responsibilities for 25 years for client Matthew
Perry.�

Five people in total have been charged: Iwamassa, Dr. Salvador Plasencia,
Jasveen Sangha (who authorities said is known as �the ketamine queen�),
another doctor by the name of Mark Chavez, and an acquaintance of Perry�s
named Erik Fleming. Plasencia and Sangha are the primary defendants out of
the five, authorities shared.

Estrada said that Plasencia, an urgent care physician, �worked with Mr.
Perry�s live-in assistant, defendant Kenneth Iwamasa, to distribute
ketamine to Mr. Perry.� Over two months from September to October 2023,
Estrada also said, �they distributed approximately 20 vials of ketamine to
Mr. Perry, in exchange for $55,000 in cash,� and that �Plasencia saw this
as an opportunity to profit off of Mr. Perry.� Sharing text messages
allegedly sent by Plasencia, Estrada aloud, �I wonder how much this moron
will pay.�

Iwamasa would inject Perry with the ketamine, even though he had no medical
training, authorities uncovered. Sangha �worked with a broker, defendant
Fleming, and also the live-in assistant, defendant Iwamassa, to distribute
this ketamine.� A search of Sangha�s home uncovered �what amounted to a
drug-selling emporium,� Estrada said, which included �80 vials of ketamine,
thousands of pills containing methamphetamine, cocaine, bottles of Xanax
and other illegally obtained prescription drugs.�

The charges against the defendants include conspiracy to distribute
ketamine, distribution of ketamine resulting in death, maintaining drug-
involved premises, and falsifying records, among other counts.

Estrada concluded, �These defendants were more interested in profiting off
Mr. Perry than caring for his well-being� and expressed his hope that the
charges send a clear message: �If you are in the business of selling
dangerous drugs, we will hold you accountable for the deaths that you
cause.�