Matthew Perry Was Manipulated By His Inner Circle Before His Death, Investigation Argues

Yesterday, we reported that five people had been arrested in connection to the drug overdose death of the former Friends star Matthew Perry. Now, sad new details have emerged from this investigation that suggest Perry was being manipulated by enablers in his inner circle before he died.

Perry’s Tragic Death

Perry, 54, was found dead in his hot tub on October 28, 2023. An autopsy later revealed that Perry died due to the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine. When he was found dead, he had 3.54 micrograms per milliliter of the drug in his bloodstream.

Martin Estrada, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, announced on Thursday that five people had been arrested in connection to Perry’s death in October of 2023. The five people include Perry’s longtime personal assistant, two doctors, and two street drug dealers. One of these drug dealers was even known as “The Ketamine Queen.”

Perry’s live-in assistant Kenny Iwamasa allegedly learned how to inject drugs into the actor’s system from Dr. Salvador Plasencia. His colleague Dr. Mark Chaves also helped him get his hands on the drugs, investigators say.

Disturbing Texts Revealed

An indictment that was unsealed on Thursday shows that one doctor once texted the other, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.” The other doctor replied, “Lets find out.”

How exactly does that attitude square with “do no harm”?

“They knew what they were doing was wrong,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr. Perry. But they did it anyway.”

Once the drugs from the doctors became too expensive, Perry began getting them from “The Ketamine Queen,” aka Jasveen Sangha, through the middleman Eric Fleming. This middleman once texted Perry’s assistant that Sangha “only deals with high end and celebs. If it were not great stuff she’d lose her business.”

“The Ketamine Queen” herself is now facing life in prison if convicted on all charges. Dr. Plasencia could get up to 120 years behind bars. Meanwhile, Dr. Chavez took a plea deal the details of which have not been specified. Iwamasa is looking at a possible 15 year sentence, while Fleming could get up to 25 years.

Full Story: Five People Arrested In Connection With Matthew Perry’s Death – Group Includes His Assistant And Two Doctors

‘Leeches’ In Perry’s Inner Circle

Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, told Fox News that Perry paid the “ultimate price” after he was taken advantage of due to his celebrity status and addiction.

“They have these entourages that are many times like leeches,” Rahmani said. “They have a ton of money, and there are people that just take advantage of them and make money off them and milk them. 

“Here’s someone with a clear and well-documented opioid addiction,” she continued. “He’s on meds to try to deal with that addiction, and he’s very public about it. And, you know, there are people who are charging him thousands and thousands of dollars for ketamine and taking advantage of that addiction. It’s really sad.”

Rahmani went on to say that the case against those who have been arrested is a strong one.

“It’s a really strong case,” she said. “The text messages are so damning, and multiple defendants have already pleaded guilty about this based on the writing on the wall. The dealers have no defense whatsoever. They don’t have a DEA license or any reason to have ketamine or methamphetamine, so they’re done.”

Related: Courteney Cox Reveals ‘Friends’ Co-Star Matthew Perry ‘Visits’ Her Months After His Death

‘If Your Drug Dealing Leads To The Death…’

Former prosecutor Eric Anderson also weighed in on the arrests.

“If your drug dealing leads to the death of a prominent person, then you will be charged with murder, and it will not go unnoticed,” Anderson said.

“Perry was a beloved celebrity with substance abuse issues that were well known. He was very public about it and his work to stay sober,” he added. “Here, the allegations are that people close to him, with great access to him, played upon that vulnerability and laughed about it. Even after prior warnings that their conduct of providing and injecting him with ketamine was a serious health risk to Perry, they allegedly kept doing it.” 

Perry’s death was a horrible tragedy that is sadly indicative of the drug crisis our country is facing. We can only hope that those responsible for his passing are held fully accountable by the law.