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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Five people were charged in the federal investigation into Matthew Perry’s death, beginning with an arrest announcement on August 15, 2024. By May 27, 2026, all five had been sentenced, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined that acute ketamine effects caused Perry’s death; drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects were contributory.
Who was arrested and charged?
On August 15, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced that Jasveen Sangha and Dr. Salvador Plasencia had been arrested that day. They were charged in an 18-count superseding indictment. Three other people—Erik Fleming, Kenneth Iwamasa and Dr. Mark Chavez—were also charged in the federal case, which prosecutors said concerned alleged ketamine distribution during Perry’s final weeks. The DOJ announcement said Iwamasa and Fleming had already pleaded guilty at that point.
The initial charging document set out allegations, not findings of guilt. The DOJ cautioned that defendants were presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The later guilty pleas and sentences are separate procedural outcomes.
What did the Medical Examiner say caused Perry’s death?
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner determined that “Mr. Matthew Perry’s cause of death is determined to be from the acute effects of ketamine.” It listed drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects as contributory, and classified the manner of death as accidental (drug and drowning related). The 2023 Medical Examiner report said Perry’s last known ketamine infusion treatment was about 1½ weeks before his death and could not account for the ketamine in his system at death.
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The report recorded ketamine levels of 3,540 ng/mL in peripheral blood and 3,271 ng/mL in central blood. It cited 1,000–6,000 ng/mL as a typical range for general anesthesia levels in monitored surgical-anesthesiologic care. That comparison describes monitored care; it is not a universal safety or toxicity threshold. The report also gave ketamine’s half-life as 3–4 hours or less. These are findings specific to Perry’s case, not population-level overdose statistics.
What happened to the five defendants?
DOJ sentencing updates published in April and May 2026 report that all five defendants had been sentenced. The descriptions of each person’s role below reflect DOJ’s account of the case; the outcomes distinguish guilty pleas from the sentences imposed.
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| Defendant | Case outcome reported by DOJ |
|---|---|
| Jasveen Sangha | Sentenced to 180 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug-trafficking counts, including distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. |
| Dr. Salvador Plasencia | Sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of ketamine distribution. DOJ reported that he surrendered his California medical license in September 2025. |
| Erik Fleming | Sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to federal narcotics charges. |
| Dr. Mark Chavez | Sentenced to three years of probation, eight months of home detention and 300 hours of community service. DOJ reported that he surrendered his California medical license in November 2024. |
| Kenneth Iwamasa | Sentenced to 41 months in federal prison and a $10,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death and serious bodily injury. DOJ identified him as the fifth and final defendant sentenced. |
DOJ’s May 27, 2026 update announced Iwamasa’s sentence and said he was the final defendant sentenced. The sentencing outcomes do not make the original indictment’s allegations retroactively equivalent to findings at the time charges were filed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What officials said when the charges were announced
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said on August 15, 2024: “We allege each of the defendants played a key role in his death by falsely prescribing, selling, or injecting the ketamine that caused Matthew Perry’s tragic death.” That was an official characterization of the allegations at the time, not a court finding. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said the defendants “cared more about profiting off of Mr. Perry than caring for his well-being,” also describing the government’s position when the charges were announced. The charging announcement contains those statements.
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