The North Hollywood woman known as the “Ketamine Queen” pleaded guilty to five federal criminal charges, including the fact that she supplied the drugs that caused the death of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry in 2023.
On Wednesday morning, Jasveen Sangha 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 maintaining a drug-involved premises. In August, Sangha agreed to a plea agreement, where she would assume responsibility for supplying the drugs that killed Perry.
Mark Geragos, her defense attorney, said his client has felt horrible about the incident since day one and she went into the courtroom accepting responsibility.
After attorneys read through the details of the plea agreement, the judge confirmed that she faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison with a $2.5 million restitution payment. Her sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 10 at 8:30 a.m.
Geragos said he believes a “full evidentiary hearing will reveal exactly what was going on and will give the judge a complete background to do what we think is fair and just in this case.”
The 42-year-old is a dual citizen of the United States and the United Kingdom and has been in federal custody since August 2024.
Four other people are also criminally charged in Perry’s death, including two physicians, Sangha’s accomplice and the actor’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa.
Geragos said he sentencing hearing will be an opportunity to flesh out “exactly what happened” and figure out “who was responsible for what.”
Perry was found unresponsive in the jacuzzi of his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28, 2023, according to prosecutors. They also allege that Iwamasa has injected Perry with at least three shots of ketamine that Sangha supplied.
The toxicology report released by the Los Angeles County medical examiner attributed Perry’s cause of death to the “acute effects of ketamine,” with contributing factors including “drowning, coronary artery disease, and buprenorphine effects.” Buprenorphine is a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.
Prosecutors claim that after learning about Perry’s death, Sangha and one of Perry’s doctors discussed how they planned to distance themselves from the situation and delete text communications between each other.
As part of her plea agreement, Sangha admitted to possessing with the intent to distribute various drugs at her North Hollywood residence and to storing and dealing drugs out of her home since at least June 2019. She also admitted to selling four vials of ketamine to another man, 33-year-old Cody McLaury, in August 2019. McLaury, an aspiring personal trainer, died hours later from an overdose, prosecutors and other sources said.
During a search of her home in 2023, authorities found methamphetamine, ketamine, Ecstasy, counterfeit Xanax pills, cocaine, and other drug trafficking items, and $5,723 in cash.
The North Hollywood woman known as the “Ketamine Queen” pleaded guilty to five federal criminal charges, including the fact that she supplied the drugs that caused the death of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry in 2023. On Wednesday morning, Jasveen Sangha 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 maintaining a drug-involved premises. In August, Sangha agreed to a plea agreement, where she would assume responsibility for supplying the drugs that killed Perry. Mark Geragos, her defense attorney, said his client has felt horrible about the incident since day one and she went into the courtroom accepting responsibility. After attorneys read through the details of the plea agreement, the judge confirmed that she faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison with a $2.5 million restitution payment. Her sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 10 at 8:30 a.m.Geragos said he believes a “full evidentiary hearing will reveal exactly what was going on and will give the judge a complete background to do what we think is fair and just in this case.”
The 42-year-old is a dual citizen of the United States and the United Kingdom and has been in federal custody since August 2024.Four other people are also criminally charged in Perry’s death, including two physicians, Sangha’s accomplice and the actor’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. Geragos said he sentencing hearing will be an opportunity to flesh out “exactly what happened” and figure out “who was responsible for what.” Perry was found unresponsive in the jacuzzi of his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28, 2023, according to prosecutors. They also allege that Iwamasa has injected Perry with at least three shots of ketamine that Sangha supplied.
The toxicology report released by the Los Angeles County medical examiner attributed Perry’s cause of death to the “acute effects of ketamine,” with contributing factors including “drowning, coronary artery disease, and buprenorphine effects.” Buprenorphine is a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.Prosecutors claim that after learning about Perry’s death, Sangha and one of Perry’s doctors discussed how they planned to distance themselves from the situation and delete text communications between each other. As part of her plea agreement, Sangha admitted to possessing with the intent to distribute various drugs at her North Hollywood residence and to storing and dealing drugs out of her home since at least June 2019. She also admitted to selling four vials of ketamine to another man, 33-year-old Cody McLaury, in August 2019. McLaury, an aspiring personal trainer, died hours later from an overdose, prosecutors and other sources said. During a search of her home in 2023, authorities found methamphetamine, ketamine, Ecstasy, counterfeit Xanax pills, cocaine, and other drug trafficking items, and $5,723 in cash.
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Chelsea Hylton
Chelsea Hylton is a web producer for CBS Los Angeles. An Inglewood native, Hylton has her master’s degree from USC. She covers local breaking news across the Southern California region. Before joining CBS in 2024, she worked at NBC LA, Telemundo 52, The Los Angeles Times and KOMO 4 News in Seattle.
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