Reuters: The accused Los Angeles drug dealer known as the “ketamine queen” has agreed to plead guilty to charges that she supplied the dose of the prescription anaesthetic that killed “Friends” star Matthew Perry, prosecutors said on Monday.
Jasveen Sangha, 42, who authorities said ran an illegal narcotics “stash house” in the North Hollywood district of Los Angeles and was due to stand trial in September, will plead guilty to five charges under a deal with federal prosecutors, according to the US Justice Department.
Four other co-defendants in the case – two physicians, Perry’s personal assistant and another man who admitted acting as an intermediary in selling ketamine to the actor – have already pleaded guilty to various charges, though none has yet been sentenced.
All five were charged in the case one year ago.
Prosecutors said Sangha agreed to plead guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of illegal distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
Sangha, a dual US-British citizen, is expected to formally enter her plea in the coming weeks, the Justice Department said in a statement.
The charge of maintaining a drug den carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Sangha faces up to 15 years in prison for ketamine distribution that killed Perry, and 10 years for each of the three other distribution counts.
Medical examiners concluded that Perry died from acute effects of ketamine that combined with other factors to cause the actor to lose consciousness and drown in his hot tub on Oct 28, 2023. He was 54 years old.
