A woman dubbed the “Ketamine Queen” was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 years behind bars, for supplying the drugs that killed actor Matthew Perry.
U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence to Jasveen Sangha, 42, in Los Angeles, fulfilling the recommended sentence from prosecutors.
Sangha told the judge she wears her shame “like a jacket.”
“These were not mistakes,“ Sangha said. ”They were horrible decisions, which shattered people’s lives and the lives of their family and friends.”
Just four days before his 2023 overdose, Sangha sold Perry 25 vials of ketamine, including the fatal dose, for $6,000 in cash. She also admitted to a 2019 transaction with 33-year-old Cody McLaury, who had no connection to Perry, but also died of an overdose.
Prosecutors argued that Sangha operated a profitable drug distribution network and knowingly supplied powerful substances to high-end clients despite the clear risks. She had a lavish lifestyle as a result, traveling and frequently attending parties with celebrities.
Members of Perry’s family, including his mother and stepparents, were in attendance, and some addressed the court prior to Sangha’s sentencing.
“There was a spark to that man I have never seen anywhere else,” said Keith Morrison, Perry’s stepfather and correspondent for NBC’s “Dateline.” “He should have had another act. Two more acts.”
Attorneys for Sangha noted her lack of criminal behavior, adding that the time she has already spent in jail since her August 2024 indictment should be sufficient in considering her sentencing.
At the time, the judge recognized that Plasencia didn’t provide the ketamine that directly killed Perry, but said the doctor exploited the actor’s addiction for personal profit.
The actor was found unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his residence in the Pacific Palisades. A medical examiner later confirmed he died from the acute effects of ketamine, a surgical anesthetic that is also used as an off-label treatment for depression.
