Jasveen Sangha, the “ketamine queen” charged in Matthew Perry’s death, likely used the codename “Chandler” when discussing the alleged drug deals that ultimately led to the actor’s fatal overdose.
The detail came out in court documents obtained from the plea agreement signed by Sangha’s middle-man and alleged co-conspirator, Erik Fleming.
Prosecutors said when Sangha communicated with Fleming about Perry, she referred to the actor “using a name of a well-known character that (he) portrayed in a television series.”
Perry played Chandler Bing on the massively successful NBC sitcom, Friends, which exploded in popularity during its 10-year run beginning in 1994. Chandler, arguably the actor’s most notable role, was one of the six core characters on the show.
The TV star’s comedic timing and deadpan delivery launched him to household fame alongside co-stars Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox. All six leads famously made $1million each for the series finale after banding together on negotiations with the show’s producers. They also went on to earn sizable royalties on re-runs.
Investigators say Sangha, Fleming and the three others charged in connection to Perry’s death exploited the actor’s wealth and well-known addiction struggles for their own financial gain.
Fleming, 54, connected with Perry through a mutual friend and became the go-between who would deliver Sangha’s ketamine to the sitcom star’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who is also charged in the case.
Perry gave Iwamasa money to seek out underground sources of the drug after becoming hooked on his legal ketamine therapy treatments, according to the lengthy indictment.
Text messages included in case files show Fleming told Iwamasa his hook-up, Sangha, 41, “only deals with high end celebs” and “could fill any order”.
The middle-man also said Sangha “was able to get the kind that is used for intermuscular”, adding: “It’s unmarked but it’s amazing”.
Perry went on to spend $11k on 50 vials from the pair in the weeks leading up to his death, according to court documents. He overdosed at the age of 54 on October 28, 2023, after Iwamasa injected him with ketamine Fleming delivered four days earlier.
Fleming pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine as well as distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release, as well as a fine of $1million “or twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offenses, whichever is greatest”. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 30.
Sangha pleaded not guilty to the charges against her and faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison if convicted.
Also charged in the case are doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, who allegedly supplied the actor with additional ketamine outside of their legal medical practices.
In an interview with the BBC in 2016, Perry described his heavy substance abuse while filming Friends, saying: “I don’t remember three years of it.”
He also told Diane Sawyer in a tell-all interview exactly one year before his death that at the height of his addiction to opioids, he was taking as many as 55 pills a day.
