LOS ANGELES, CA - Prosecutors have announced that five people including Matthew Perry's personal assistant and two of his doctors have been charged in connection with the "Friends" actor's untimely death.
According to ABC News, prosecutors are calling the incident a "broad underground criminal network" that was dedicated to getting Perry the powerful surgical anesthetic that killed him. When announcing the charges on Thursday, August 15th, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said that the doctors preyed on Perry's history of addiction in the final months of his life to provide him with ketamine amounts they knew were dangerous.
Estrada said, "They knew what they were doing was wrong. They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr. Perry, but they did it anyway." In the indictment, which was unsealed on Thursday, it alleged that one doctor texted, "I wonder how much this moron will pay" and "Let's find out."
Perry died in October 2023 due to a ketamine overdose. According to prosecutors, the actor received several injections of ketamine on the day that he died from his live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. The personnel assistant was the individual who found Perry dead later that day and was the first person to speak with investigators.
Perry had reportedly been receiving regular ketamine infusion treatments for depression in amounts not nearly enough to account for his death from his regular doctors, who were not among those charged. However, according to authorities, when those doctors then refused to give him more, he went in desperation to others. Estrada said in a statement, "We are not talking about legitimate ketamine treatment. We're talking about two doctors who abused the trust they had, abused their licenses to put another person's life at risk."
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said that in one instance Perry paid $2,000 for a vial of ketamine that cost one of the physicians about $12. Estrada said that in the two months before his untimely death, the actor paid the doctors close to $55,000 in cash. Two of the people, including one of the doctors has been charged.
Estrada said that two of the defendants, including Iwamasa the personnel assistant, have pleaded guilty to those charges and a third person has agreed to plead guilty. Dr. Salvador Plasencia has been charged with seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two charges related to allegations of falsifying records after Perry's death.
Plasencia appeared in court briefly and pleaded not guilty. He was given a $100,000 bond and can be released if he posts the bail. Plasencia's attorney, Stefan Sacks, asked that his client be allowed to keep seeing his patients at his practice once he is released, saying he already turned over his DEA license to prescribe dangerous drugs and that Perry was an "isolated" incident.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian V. Yanniello objected, saying that the doctor had "essentially acted as a street corner drug dealer." Magistrate Judge Alka Sagar ruled that Plasencia could treat patients once released only if they sign a document saying they had been informed of the charges against him. Outside of the courthouse Sacks said, "Ultimately, Dr. Plasencia was operating with what he thought were the best of medical intentions," and that his actions "certainly didn't raise to the level of criminal misconduct."
He added, "His only concern was to give the best medical treatment and to do no harm. Unfortunately, harm was done, but it was after his involvement." The other person arraigned in the case was Jasveen Sangha, who prosecutors have described as a drug dealer known to customers as the "Ketamine Queen." Authorities said that the Ketamine supplied by Sangha caused Perry's death.
Sangha pleaded not guilty and was denied bond. She had been first arrested in the case after being charged with possession of ketamine with intent to distribute. She was released on bond in March. At the time, authorities kept Perry's involvement quiet. However, in the newly unsealed indictment alleges a direct connection to the actor's death. The judge ruled her to remain in custody over prosecutors' contentions that she destroyed evidence and used money from drug sales to fund her lavish lifestyle. If convicted, Plasencia could face up to 120 years in prison and Sangha could get life in prison.
A San Diego physician, Dr. Mark Chavez, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Prosecutors allege that Chavez funneled ketamine to Plasencia, securing some of the drug from a wholesale distributer through a fraudulent prescription. Prosecutors said that the defendants exchanged messages soon after Perry's death referencing ketamine as the cause of death. Estrada said the two deleted those messages and falsified medical records in an attempt to cover up their involvement.
Iwamasa found the actor face down in his hot tub on October 28, 2023, and paramedics who responded to the scene declared him dead on scene. Prosecutors said that Iwamasa received the ketamine from Erik Fleming, who has also pleaded guilty to obtaining the drug from Sangha and delivering it to the personal assistant. In all, he reportedly delivered 50 vials of ketamine for Perry's use, including 25 handed over four days before the actor's death.
Estrada said that Plasencia had witnessed Perry freeze up and saw his blood pressure spike after injecting him with the drug, but still left several vials with Iwamasa for the actor to inject later on. According to reports, Iwamasa pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. Court documents state that Iwamasa injected Perry with "significant quantities of ketamine" in the months he died.
Court documents say that between October 24, 2023, and October 27, 2023, Iwamasa injected Perry "with approximately 6-8 shots per day" and that during the month of October 2023, Iwamasa found Perry "unconscious at this residence on at least two occasions." On October 28, 2023, Iwamasa injected Perry with a shot of ketamine at approximately 8:30 a.m. and just four hours later, injected a second shot around 12:45 p.m. while Perry watched a movie.
Court documents state that then, after 40 minutes, Perry asked his personal assistant to prepare the hot tub and told him to "shoot me up with a big one," referring to another shot of ketamine. After the third injection, Iwamasa left the house to run errands for Perry. Upon arriving back to the residence, he found the actor face down in the hot tub.
According to ABC News, prosecutors are calling the incident a "broad underground criminal network" that was dedicated to getting Perry the powerful surgical anesthetic that killed him. When announcing the charges on Thursday, August 15th, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said that the doctors preyed on Perry's history of addiction in the final months of his life to provide him with ketamine amounts they knew were dangerous.
Estrada said, "They knew what they were doing was wrong. They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr. Perry, but they did it anyway." In the indictment, which was unsealed on Thursday, it alleged that one doctor texted, "I wonder how much this moron will pay" and "Let's find out."
Perry died in October 2023 due to a ketamine overdose. According to prosecutors, the actor received several injections of ketamine on the day that he died from his live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. The personnel assistant was the individual who found Perry dead later that day and was the first person to speak with investigators.
Perry had reportedly been receiving regular ketamine infusion treatments for depression in amounts not nearly enough to account for his death from his regular doctors, who were not among those charged. However, according to authorities, when those doctors then refused to give him more, he went in desperation to others. Estrada said in a statement, "We are not talking about legitimate ketamine treatment. We're talking about two doctors who abused the trust they had, abused their licenses to put another person's life at risk."
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said that in one instance Perry paid $2,000 for a vial of ketamine that cost one of the physicians about $12. Estrada said that in the two months before his untimely death, the actor paid the doctors close to $55,000 in cash. Two of the people, including one of the doctors has been charged.
Estrada said that two of the defendants, including Iwamasa the personnel assistant, have pleaded guilty to those charges and a third person has agreed to plead guilty. Dr. Salvador Plasencia has been charged with seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two charges related to allegations of falsifying records after Perry's death.
Plasencia appeared in court briefly and pleaded not guilty. He was given a $100,000 bond and can be released if he posts the bail. Plasencia's attorney, Stefan Sacks, asked that his client be allowed to keep seeing his patients at his practice once he is released, saying he already turned over his DEA license to prescribe dangerous drugs and that Perry was an "isolated" incident.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian V. Yanniello objected, saying that the doctor had "essentially acted as a street corner drug dealer." Magistrate Judge Alka Sagar ruled that Plasencia could treat patients once released only if they sign a document saying they had been informed of the charges against him. Outside of the courthouse Sacks said, "Ultimately, Dr. Plasencia was operating with what he thought were the best of medical intentions," and that his actions "certainly didn't raise to the level of criminal misconduct."
He added, "His only concern was to give the best medical treatment and to do no harm. Unfortunately, harm was done, but it was after his involvement." The other person arraigned in the case was Jasveen Sangha, who prosecutors have described as a drug dealer known to customers as the "Ketamine Queen." Authorities said that the Ketamine supplied by Sangha caused Perry's death.
Sangha pleaded not guilty and was denied bond. She had been first arrested in the case after being charged with possession of ketamine with intent to distribute. She was released on bond in March. At the time, authorities kept Perry's involvement quiet. However, in the newly unsealed indictment alleges a direct connection to the actor's death. The judge ruled her to remain in custody over prosecutors' contentions that she destroyed evidence and used money from drug sales to fund her lavish lifestyle. If convicted, Plasencia could face up to 120 years in prison and Sangha could get life in prison.
A San Diego physician, Dr. Mark Chavez, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Prosecutors allege that Chavez funneled ketamine to Plasencia, securing some of the drug from a wholesale distributer through a fraudulent prescription. Prosecutors said that the defendants exchanged messages soon after Perry's death referencing ketamine as the cause of death. Estrada said the two deleted those messages and falsified medical records in an attempt to cover up their involvement.
Iwamasa found the actor face down in his hot tub on October 28, 2023, and paramedics who responded to the scene declared him dead on scene. Prosecutors said that Iwamasa received the ketamine from Erik Fleming, who has also pleaded guilty to obtaining the drug from Sangha and delivering it to the personal assistant. In all, he reportedly delivered 50 vials of ketamine for Perry's use, including 25 handed over four days before the actor's death.
Estrada said that Plasencia had witnessed Perry freeze up and saw his blood pressure spike after injecting him with the drug, but still left several vials with Iwamasa for the actor to inject later on. According to reports, Iwamasa pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. Court documents state that Iwamasa injected Perry with "significant quantities of ketamine" in the months he died.
Court documents say that between October 24, 2023, and October 27, 2023, Iwamasa injected Perry "with approximately 6-8 shots per day" and that during the month of October 2023, Iwamasa found Perry "unconscious at this residence on at least two occasions." On October 28, 2023, Iwamasa injected Perry with a shot of ketamine at approximately 8:30 a.m. and just four hours later, injected a second shot around 12:45 p.m. while Perry watched a movie.
Court documents state that then, after 40 minutes, Perry asked his personal assistant to prepare the hot tub and told him to "shoot me up with a big one," referring to another shot of ketamine. After the third injection, Iwamasa left the house to run errands for Perry. Upon arriving back to the residence, he found the actor face down in the hot tub.
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments
2024-08-23T07:11-0400 | Comment by: DS
as IF HE HAD NO CLUE THAT HE WAS TAKING HARD DRUGS... typical Hollywood fool..