A federal judge in Los Angeles sentenced 42-year-old Jasveen Sangha to 15 years in prison on Wednesday for her role in the illegal distribution of ketamine that led to the death of actor Matthew Perry. Sangha, who pleaded guilty in September to five felony charges, had faced calls from her defense team for a significantly shorter sentence.
District Judge Sherilyn Garnett imposed the 15-year term, citing evidence that Sangha continued to deal ketamine even after news of Perry’s death broke. The judge noted that this behavior demonstrated a lack of genuine remorse for her actions.
During the hearing, Sangha addressed the court while wearing beige prison attire. "I take full responsibility for my actions. These were horrible choices that ultimately proved tragic," she said.
A fatal supply chain
Prosecutors identified Sangha as the "Ketamine Queen," a high-level supplier who provided 51 vials of the drug to a middleman named Erik Fleming. Fleming then funneled the drugs to Perry through the actor’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. Investigators determined that Iwamasa injected Perry with at least three doses of the drug, which ultimately caused the actor's fatal overdose in 2023.
Perry had been struggling with addiction and had sought ketamine infusions to treat anxiety and depression. When medical professionals refused to increase his dosage, he turned to the black market, where prosecutors say Sangha exploited his vulnerability for financial gain.
Sangha’s defense attorney, Mark Geragos, expressed strong disagreement with the severity of the sentence compared to others involved in the case. "There’s no way that Jasveen is five times more culpable than the person who injected Matthew Perry with the drug, or the doctor who got the drug," Geragos told reporters outside the courthouse.
Sangha has been in custody for nearly 20 months since her 2024 arrest. Her convictions include one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of illegal ketamine distribution, and one count of distributing ketamine resulting in death.
