Stepmother Seeks Maximum Sentence for Drug Seller in Matthew Perry Case
The stepmother of the late Friends actor Matthew Perry has requested that a judge impose the maximum prison sentence on the woman who sold the drugs that led to his death.
Jasveen Sangha, known as the 'Ketamine Queen,' was described by Debbie Perry in a victim impact statement submitted to a California court on Tuesday as having caused "irreversible" harm.
"The pain you've caused to hundreds maybe thousands is irreversible," Debbie Perry wrote. "There is no joy... No light in the window. They won't be back."
Sangha faces a potential sentence exceeding six decades when she is sentenced on Wednesday. She previously pleaded guilty to five charges, including one count of distributing ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.
Matthew Perry was found unresponsive in the jacuzzi of his Los Angeles home in 2023. Medical officials in Los Angeles later ruled his death an accident caused by the "acute effects of ketamine."
Debbie Perry's statement continued:
"You caused this... You who has talent for business enough to make money chose the one way that hurts people."
"Please give this heartless woman the maximum prison sentence so she won't be able to hurt other families like ours."
Sangha, a dual US-UK citizen who has been in federal custody since 2024, has reportedly expressed remorse to Perry's family.
Speaking from prison to The Sun, she said:
"There are no excuses for what I did. I am deeply sorry for the pain I caused, especially to Matthew's family."
Matthew Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing in the popular 1990s US television sitcom Friends, struggled with substance addiction for decades and had been using ketamine as part of supervised therapy for depression.
Sangha is one of five individuals convicted for their involvement in the circumstances leading to Perry's death.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who admitted to four counts of ketamine distribution in the weeks preceding Perry's death, was sentenced last year to 30 months in jail.
Another doctor, Mark Chavez, received eight months of home detention and three years of supervised release.
Plasencia purchased ketamine from Chavez and sold it to Perry at highly inflated prices—$2,000 (£1,500) per vial. The court heard a text message from Plasencia stating, "I wonder how much this moron will pay."
Sangha collaborated with an intermediary, Erik Fleming, to sell 51 vials of ketamine to Perry's personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa.
Iwamasa repeatedly injected Perry with the drugs, including on 28 October 2023, when he administered at least three doses that ultimately caused the actor's death.
Following this, Sangha instructed Fleming to "delete all our messages."
Iwamasa and Fleming are scheduled for sentencing later this month.
