'Ketamine Queen' Jasveen Sangha faces sentencing in Matthew Perry death

LOS ANGELES - Jasveen Sangha, the woman known to her clients as the "Ketamine Queen" and who admitted to selling Matthew Perry the ketamine that killed him, is set to be sentenced Wednesday in a Los Angeles federal court. 

Sangha will be the third defendant sentenced of the five people who have pleaded guilty in connection with the 2023 overdose of the 54-year-old actor, whose portrayal of Chandler Bing on "Friends" made him one of his era's biggest stars.

What we know:

Sangha pleaded guilty in September 2025 to maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and distribution of ketamine resulting in death. 

Prosecutors say Sangha sold Perry 25 vials of ketamine for $6,000 in cash just four days before his death. She also admitted to a 2019 transaction involving 33-year-old Cody McLaury, who died of an overdose shortly after the sale.

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The investigation revealed that Perry, who struggled with lifelong addiction, sought more ketamine than his legal providers would allow. 

This led him first to Dr. Salvador Plasencia (sentenced to 2.5 years) and eventually to Sangha’s North Hollywood operation. 

The prosecution said that despite Sangha’s plea, she continued drug dealing, showing her lack of remorse.

A dual U.S.-U.K. citizen, Sangha moved from England to the U.S. at age 3, and when she was around age 10, her family settled in Southern California.

What they're saying:

Prosecutors argue Sangha operated an elaborate drug business to fund a "jet-setting lifestyle," claiming her life circumstances prove she acted out of greed rather than desperation. 

"She chose profits over people," they wrote, noting she allegedly continued dealing drugs even after being alerted to the 2019 death of McLaury.

In contrast, defense attorney Mark Geragos and his team argue that prosecutors' sentencing math is "factually wrong." 

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They describe Sangha as an educated woman with degrees from UC Irvine and Hult International Business School who made an "aberrant mistake." 

Her lawyers highlight her behavior as a "model inmate" who has led Narcotics Anonymous meetings while in custody, arguing her current time in jail is sufficient.

The backstory:

Perry detailed his years-long struggle with addiction in the 2022 memoir "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing." The "Friends" star, who played the character Chandler Bing in the series from 1994 to 2004, says he went through detox dozens of times.

Perry received one Emmy nomination for his "Friends" role and two more for appearances as an associate White House counsel on "The West Wing."

Perry also had several notable film roles, starring opposite Salma Hayek in the rom-com "Fools Rush In" and Bruce Willis in the the crime comedy "The Whole Nine Yards."

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He worked consistently after "Friends," though never in a role that brought him as much attention or acclaim.

In 2015, he played Oscar for a CBS reboot of "The Odd Couple" that aired for two seasons.

Perry was born Aug. 19, 1969, in Williamstown, Massachusetts. His father is actor John Bennett Perry and his mother, Suzanne, served as press secretary of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and is married to "Dateline" correspondent Keith Morrison.

Timeline:

June 2019: Sangha begins using her home for drug distribution.

August 2019: Cody McLaury dies after purchasing ketamine from Sangha.

October 24, 2023: Sangha sells 25 vials of ketamine to Perry's representatives.

October 28, 2023: Matthew Perry is found dead in his Pacific Palisades hot tub.

August 2024: Sangha is indicted and taken into custody.

October 2024: Dr. Mark Chavez is sentenced to eight months of home detention.

December 2025: Dr. Salvador Plasencia is sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.

April 8, 2026: Scheduled sentencing for Jasveen Sangha.

What's next:

Members of Perry’s family are expected to speak in court during Wednesday’s hearing.

U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett has indicated she wants to balance the punishments for all five people involved to ensure each sentence is fair in relation to the others.

Two other key figures—Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa and middleman Erik Fleming—are scheduled for sentencing later this month.