Matthew Perry death: Doctors, Perry’s assistant among those arrested
Matthew Perry death FILE PHOTO: Matthew Perry attends the GQ Men of the Year Party 2022 at The West Hollywood EDITION on November 17, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for GQ) (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for GQ)
By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Several arrests have been made in the death of actor Matthew Perry, according to reports.
TMZ was the first to report that multiple arrests were recently made.
Update 1:38 p.m. ET Aug. 15: U.S. Attorney Marin Estrada said two defendants, including Perry’s live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, already pleaded guilty to the charges. A third said they would also plead guilty, The Associated Press reported.
Iwamasa pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, The New York Times reported. He said he injected Perry with the drug several times the day the “Friends” actor was found dead. He was also the one who found him unresponsive, face down in his hot tub on Oct. 28.
Ketamine is an anesthetic used for chronic pain and depression.
Erik Fleming, an acquaintance of Perry’s, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and a count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death, the Times reported. Prosecutors said Fleming got the ketamine from Jasveen Sangha and gave Iwamasa 50 vials of the drug, half of them four days before Perry died.
Estrada said that some of the defendants wondered via text message how much Perry would pay for the ketamine, they also used terms such as “Dr. Pepper,” “cans” and “bots” as stand-ins for the drug’s name, the Times reported.
Urgent care physician Dr. Salvador Plasencia texted Dr. Mark Chavez about obtaining ketamine to sell to a person identified in text messages as “M.P.,” police confirmed that the initials stood for Perry. They texted about how much to charge for the drug, writing, “I wonder how much this moron will pay” and “Let’s find out,” the Times reported.
“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong,” Estrada said during the Thursday press conference, the AP reported.
Update 12:57 p.m. ET Aug. 15: The New York Times reported that Perry’s personal assistant was among those charged. The documents filed in federal court said that the assistant and an acquaintance worked with two doctors and a drug dealer to get Perry ketamine in the weeks before his death.
Named in the indictment were Jasveen Sangha, dubbed “the Ketamine Queen;” Salvador Plasencia, dubbed “Dr. P’;” Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s assistant; Dr. Mark Chavez and Erik Flemming, Perry’s acquaintance.
Sangha and Plasencia are charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine, distribution of ketamine resulting in death and altering and falsifying records related to a federal investigation among other charges, the Times reported.
Iwamasa, Chavez and Fleming are charged separately with conspiracy to distribute ketamine, the newspaper reported.
Update 12:08 p.m. ET Aug. 15:ABC News reported that five people are facing federal charges and that the arrests were made early Thursday morning. Among those in custody are two doctors.
The accused were charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine, federal sources told ABC News, adding that the doctors were the initial sources, but when it became too expensive, Perry bought the drug from a woman known as the “Ketamine Queen of Los Angeles.”
Original report: One of those in custody is apparently a doctor.
The gossip site said that search warrants were issued and that law enforcement seized computers, phones and other devices to discover who gave the “Friends” actor the ketamine that led to his death last year.
Perry had been prescribed ketamine infusions to treat depression but the levels of the drug found in his system were too high and were the amount normally given for surgery, the medical examiner said, NBC News reported.
His last infusion was a week and a half before his death, meaning that the drug at the levels found was not prescribed by a doctor, TMZ surmised. Perry died on Oct. 28 at the age of 54.
The Los Angeles Police Department has been working with federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office on the investigation since his death, KABC reported.
TMZ said the search found text messages talking about Perry and the drug and how the people were getting it. The messages also allegedly said how much he would pay.
Officials plan on announcing the details of the investigation later today.
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 1994: Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing on "Friends" in 1994. (Reisig & Taylor/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 1995: Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Courtney Cox and David Schwimmer of the TV show "Friends" attend the 21st annual People's Choice Awards on March 5, 1995, at the Universal Studios in Universal City, California. (Ron Davis/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 1997: "Friends" co-stars actress Lisa Kudrow and actor Matthew Perry attend the 49th annual Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14, 1997, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. (Ron Davis/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 1999: Actress Jennifer Aniston, actress Courteney Cox, actor Matt LeBlanc, actress Lisa Kudrow, actor Matthew Perry and actor David Schwimmer attend the fifth annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on March 7, 1999, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2001: Left, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer arrive at the 28th annual People's Choice Awards held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles on Jan. 13, 2001. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2002: Actors David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox Arquette, Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc pose backstage during the 54th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on September 22, 2002, in Los Angeles. Aniston won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for "Friends." (Robert Mora/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2003: Actor Matt LeBlanc, actress Lisa Kudrow and actor Matthew Perry pose during the ninth annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on March 9, 2003, in Los Angeles. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2004: Actors Bruce Willis (left) and Matthew Perry talk at the after-party for the premiere of Warner Bros. "The Whole Ten Yards" at the Sunset Room on April 7, 2004, in Los Angeles. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2005: Actor Matthew Perry (left) and actress Courteney Cox arrive at the series premiere for TBS' "Daisy Does America" at Guy's on November 29, 2005, in Los Angeles. (Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2006: Actor Matthew Perry and actress Courteney Cox Arquette mingle at the AFI Associates luncheon honoring Hollywood's Arquette family with the 6th annual "Platinum Circle Award" held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 10, 2006, in Beverly Hills, California. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for AFI)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2007: Actors Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry picket in support of the Writers Guild of America which is currently on-strike for increased residuals from film and television profits in front of the Universal Studios Lot November 13, 2007, in Universal City, California. (Matthew Simmons/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2008: Actor Matthew Perry leaves the Dolce's Five Year Anniversary at the Dolce Enoteca on May 20, 2008, in Los Angeles. (Valerie Macon/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2009: Actors Michelle Trachtenberg, Zac Efron, Leslie Mann and Matthew Perry arrive at the premiere of Warner Bros. "17 Again" held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on April 14, 2009, in Hollywood, California. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2010: Actors Matthew Perry (left) and Lauren Graham present the Guest Actress & Actor in a Comedy Series awards onstage at the 62nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on August 29, 2010, in Los Angeles. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2011: Actor Matthew Perry and co-founder/editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Arianna Huffington arrives at the Arianna Huffington & The Huffington Post presents Bill Maher and The Best of Huffpost Comedy event at The Roxy Theater on February 23, 2011, in West Hollywood, California. (Angela Weiss/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2012: Actress Matthew Perry arrives at the 64th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on September 23, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2013: Actor Mathew Perry poses after the 2013 Huading Awards Ceremony at The Venetian on October 7, 2013, in Macau, Macau. (Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images for Global Talents Media Group)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2014: Actors Matthew Perry (left) and Thomas Lennon attend the CBS, The CW, Showtime & CBS Television Distribution's 2014 TCA Summer Press Tour Party at Pacific Design Center on July 17, 2014, in West Hollywood, California. (Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2015: Actor Matthew Perry attends Venice Family Clinic's Silver Circle Gala at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on March 9, 2015, in Beverly Hills, California. (Mike Windle/Getty Images for Venice Family Clinic)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2016: Actors Thomas Lennon (left), Wendell Pierce, Yvette Nicole Brown, Lindsay Sloane and Matthew Perry attend the CBS, CW, Showtime Summer TCA Party at Pacific Design Center on August 10, 2016, in West Hollywood, California. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2017: Actors Katie Holmes (left) and Matthew Perry at the premiere of Reelz's "The Kennedys After Camelot" at The Paley Center for Media on March 15, 2017, in Beverly Hills, California. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Photos: Matthew Perry through the years 2022: Matthew Perry looks on during the Women’s Singles Final match between Iga Swiatek of Poland and Ons Jabeur of Tunisia on Day Thirteen of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 10, 2022, in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Elsa/Getty Images)