CNN —
Five people have been charged in connection with the 2023 death of actor Matthew Perry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The charges, announced at a press conference Thursday morning in Los Angeles, come after investigators said they had uncovered an underground network of drug dealers and suppliers who allegedly distributed ketamine, the deadly drug that caused Perry’s death.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the defendants include two doctors, Perry’s live-in personal assistant, and someone authorities have dubbed the “Queen of Ketamine.”
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said the defendants “exploited Mr. Perry’s addiction issues.”
“They knew what they were doing was wrong,” Estrada said.
Three of the five indicted have reached plea deals.
The other two defendants, Dr. Salvador Plasencia of Santa Monica, California, and Jasbeen Sangha, who Estrada said ran a “drug store” out of his home, were indicted on Wednesday, federal prosecutors said.
Plascencia pleaded not guilty Thursday to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He was held on $100,000 unsecured bail and surrendered his DEA license, which allowed him to prescribe controlled substances, per an order from Magistrate Judge Alka Sagar. His trial is scheduled for Oct. 8.
CNN has reached out to lawyers for Plascencia and Sangha for comment.
The beloved actor, who played Chandler Bing on “Friends,” passed away in October 2023 at the age of 54. Perry was found floating face-down in a freestanding Jacuzzi at his Pacific Palisades home. According to an autopsy report from the Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner, the actor died from “acute effects of ketamine” followed by drowning.
“Matthew Perry’s journey began with an unscrupulous doctor who abused a relationship of trust by treating him as a financial tool, to a street dealer who gave him ketamine in an unmarked vial,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in a press release. “Every day, DEA works tirelessly with our federal, state and local partners to protect the public and hold accountable those who distribute deadly and dangerous drugs, whether it’s a local drug dealer or a doctor who has broken his oath to treat patients.”
CNN has reached out to representatives of Perry’s foundation and her “Friends” co-stars for comment on the charges announced Thursday.
In announcing the charges Thursday, Estrada said investigators believe Perry “relapsed into addiction” in the fall of 2023, noting Perry’s vulnerability as a recovering addict.
Estrada alleged that Plascencia conspired with Dr. Mark Chavez to supply Perry with ketamine and that Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, injected the actor with ketamine despite having no medical training.
According to the release, Chavez, a 54-year-old doctor from San Diego, “agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.”
Iwamasa, 59, of Toluca Lake, California, was announced to have pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death on Aug. 7. Authorities allege that Iwamasa “also administered multiple injections to Perry on Oct. 28, 2023, the day of Perry’s death.”
According to the US Attorney’s Office, Eric Fleming, 54, of Hawthorne, California, also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Fleming has stated in court documents that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry and that he obtained the ketamine from Sangha, the press release added.
Fleming’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment from CNN. CNN has contacted Chavez and Iwamasa’s lawyers.
Estrada said “approximately 20 vials of ketamine” were distributed to Perry over a two-month period between September and October 2023, totaling approximately $55,000.
“Plasentia saw this as an opportunity to profit from Mr. Perry,” Estrada said. “He wrote in a text message in September 2023, ‘How much will this idiot pay?’ He also stated in a text message that he wanted to be Mr. Perry’s sole source of supply.”
Perry detailed her decades-long struggle with drug addiction in her 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” writing that she began abusing prescription drugs after being prescribed Vicodin following a jet ski accident in 1997 while filming “Fools Rush In.”
According to his book, Perry ended up taking as many as 55 pills a day, which led to his noticeable weight loss during his time on “Friends.” He said it was painful to watch the physical changes he underwent while on the show.
“I was extremely thin and devastated by my illness,” Perry wrote.
Ketamine has seen a surge in use in recent years as a treatment for depression, anxiety and pain. A person close to Perry told coroner investigators that Perry had been receiving ketamine infusions and had been treated by at least two doctors before his death, according to the Associated Press.
“The desperation that led Mr. Perry to these people prevented doctors from providing the help they should have,” Milgram added at the news conference.
“This betrayal of trust is the root of this tragedy.”
She added: “Maybe what happens now can help other people and save lives.”
Perry’s death was a shock because he was a beloved star on “Friends” from 1994 to 2004, co-starring alongside Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow.
Following Perry’s death, they released a joint statement saying, “We are all deeply saddened by the passing of Matthew. We were more than just co-stars – we were family.”
“There is much to say but we want to take time to grieve and process this immeasurable loss,” the statement released by their respective representatives added. “We will provide more details as time goes on and when we are able to. For now, our thoughts and love go out to Matty’s family, friends and all those who loved him all around the world.”
In May, Los Angeles Police Capt. Scott Williams told CNN that the investigation into Perry’s death was ongoing and was being treated as a criminal investigation.
Williams said authorities were investigating how Perry obtained the drugs and who supplied them. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are also involved in the investigation.
At the press conference, both Estrada and Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic Choi disputed the notion that the investigation was focused on Perry’s socioeconomic status and that it led to a broad case.
“The lives of all victims matter,” Estrada said.
This story is developing and will be updated.