The use of the nickname “Ketamine Queen” to describe the woman charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s ketamine overdose has sparked a legal debate.
Although the move was “strategic,” the inclusion of the nickname “risks inappropriately influencing the jury,” Duncan Levin, Harvey Weinstein’s former defense attorney, told Fox News Digital.
Jasveen Sangha, referred to as the “Ketamine Queen” in several court documents related to the case, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. She was also charged with one count of operating a drug-dependent establishment, one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, one count of possession of ketamine with intent to distribute and five counts of distribution of ketamine.
However, Sangha’s lawyer denied the notion that she ever met Perry. Perry died on October 28 of an apparent ketamine overdose.
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Jasveen Sangha was arrested and charged with several offenses in connection with Matthew Perry’s death. (Jojo Korsh/BFA.com/Shutterstock)
“My client has never met Matthew Perry, has nothing to do with Matthew Perry, and all other alleged rumors are nothing more than that: urban legends,” Mark Geragos, Sangha’s attorney, told ABC7.
Geragos criticized the U.S. Attorney’s Office for using the term “ketamine queen” to describe Sangha in the indictment.
“I admire the wisdom with which he did this,” he said. “I don’t think it has any place in an indictment.”
“While it may attract attention, it ultimately opens the door to allegations of prosecutorial misconduct or unfair labeling.”
“We never alleged that we gave her the nickname ‘Ketamine Queen.’ That is something that her clients – including Erik Fleming – did,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office told the outlet.
The nickname “portrays the defendant in an extremely negative light before any evidence is presented and suggests a central role in drug offenses,” said Levin, who is not involved in Sangha’s case.
“The defense will likely argue that it is inflammatory and irrelevant, especially if the name comes from someone else, as it could influence the jury and distract their focus from the facts. Ultimately, while it may attract attention, it also opens the door to allegations of prosecutorial misconduct or unfair labeling.”
Jasveen Sangha, the “ketamine queen,” rented a home in North Hollywood to manufacture, store and distribute controlled substances, the indictment says. (Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office)
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U.S. prosecutors accused Sangha of providing Perry with the lethal dose of ketamine through her intermediary, Erik Fleming, and the actor’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa.
Iwamasa had begun looking for additional sources of ketamine when Perry’s addiction spiraled out of control, authorities alleged. Fleming, who knew Perry through a mutual friend, was introduced to Sangha by an unknown person with the intent of obtaining ketamine.
According to court documents, Fleming and Sangha communicated in text messages about the price and amount of ketamine.
“I just got that from myself,” Fleming later wrote in a text message to Perry’s assistant that was included in Iwamasa’s settlement documents. “She only deals with high-end and celebrity clients. If it wasn’t such great stuff, she would lose her business.”
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In the texts shown in the indictment, Erik Fleming described the ketamine that Matthew Perry and his assistant Kenneth Iwamasa had in their possession. (Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office)
Sangha’s nickname was “appropriate” for the charges, former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Fox News Digital. However, the founder of West Coast Trial Lawyers claimed that mentioning the nickname now was just a ploy to “win the PR battle.”
Rahmani added: “It’s probably too late for that.”
“At trial, the defense will seek to exclude the evidence if its probative value is outweighed by its prejudicial effect,” he explained. “It could come down to whether Sangha marketed herself as the ketamine queen. If so, that is an admission by the defendants and will likely be taken into account.”
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According to court documents, Sangha allegedly maintained a drug stash in North Hollywood, California, which she used to “manufacture, store and distribute controlled substances, including methamphetamine (a Schedule II controlled substance) and ketamine (a Schedule III controlled substance).”
The ketamine, allegedly provided by Sangha and delivered by Fleming to Iwamasa, killed Perry on October 28.
That morning, Perry’s assistant administered a ketamine injection to the actor around 8:30 a.m. At 12:45 p.m., Perry instructed Iwamasa to give him another injection while the “Friends” star watched a movie. About 40 minutes later, Perry demanded another injection and allegedly told Iwamasa, “Give me a big injection,” according to the agreement.
The live-in assistant administered a third injection to Perry while the 54-year-old was near or in a hot tub. Iwamasa then left the house to run errands for Perry. When he returned, the assistant found Perry dead “face down” in the hot tub.
Perry’s death was caused by “acute effects of ketamine,” according to his autopsy completed on October 29. Drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine were listed as contributing factors.
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Matthew Perry died in October 2023 from “acute effects of ketamine.” (Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images)
The nickname “Ketamine Queen” would indicate that Sangha “was known for supplying others with illegal substances,” Eric Anderson, a former prosecutor and current attorney at Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP, told Fox News Digital.
“Being called the ‘Ketamine Queen’ is akin to being known as ‘Dr. FeelGood’ or ‘The Candy Man,’ nicknames given to doctors of earlier eras who were involved in drug and steroid scandals,” Anderson explained.
He added: “It is now more difficult for the defendants, in this case Jasveen Sangha, to say they never knew the victims were abusing drugs because everyone knew the defendant would give them the drugs.”
“It shows that Sangha was well-known and reliable in the circle of those who abuse and/or facilitate the use of prescription drugs. The primary source, if you will. No different than being called the ‘Queen of Sales.’ A jury will hear this and immediately learn that she not only trafficked drugs, but was known for doing so. In a case like this, involving prescription drug abuse, the prosecution will paint a world within a world — one where the rich and famous go to certain people to get their drugs — and that world is small. The picture will be that she was proud of the nickname and deserved it.”
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After Perry’s death, Sangha allegedly worked with Fleming and Iwamasa to cover up their involvement.
According to court documents, immediately after the news broke, Fleming and Sangha attempted to cover up their involvement in Perry’s death. During an Oct. 28 phone call, Sangha and Fleming discussed distancing themselves from the drug deal by deleting “digital evidence” from their phones. Sangha instructed Fleming to delete all text messages exchanged between the two and updated the settings on Signal – an encrypted messaging app – to automatically delete messages, court documents say.
Fleming and Perry’s personal assistant spoke by phone on Oct. 30, two days after Perry’s death. Iwamasa said he “cleaned the crime scene” by disposing of the syringes and ketamine vials, the agreement states.
Iwamasa also claimed that he had “deleted everything.”
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Matthew Perry became famous as Chandler Bing in “Friends”. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Sangha will go on trial in March 2025 after pleading not guilty to the charges against her. Fleming and Iwamasa have both agreed to plea deals.
Courts have allowed the use of nicknames as evidence in legal proceedings, but their inclusion depends entirely on context.
“If it was a nickname the defendant used or adopted, then it is likely that the court will allow prosecutors in the case to present evidence of its use,” Oleg Nekritin, a defense attorney with the Robert J. DeGroot law firm, told Fox News Digital. “The court will likely prohibit prosecutors from using the nickname repeatedly and gratuitously to inflame the jury or to suggest that she committed similar, uncharged crimes.”
Nekritin added: “Certainly, any permissible reference to the nickname will burden the defense, since there is a reason for every nickname.”
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