A woman known as the "Ketamine Queen," charged with selling Matthew Perry the drug that killed him, agreed to plead guilty on Monday.
Jasveen Sangha becomes the fifth and final defendant charged in the overdose death of the "Friends" star to strike a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, avoiding a trial that had been planned for September.
She agreed in a signed statement filed in court to plead guilty to five federal criminal charges, including providing the ketamine that led to Perry’s death.
In a brief statement, Sangha's lawyer Mark Geragos said only, “She's taking responsibility for her actions.”
Prosecutors had cast Sangha, a 42-year-old US citizen as a prolific drug dealer who was known to her customers as the “Ketamine Queen,” using the term often in press releases and court documents.
She agreed to plead guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.
The final plea deal came a year after federal prosecutors announced that five people had been charged in Perry's death after investigation.
Sangha will officially change her plea to guilty at an upcoming hearing, where sentencing will be scheduled, prosecutors said. She could get up to 45 years in prison.
Perry was found dead in his Los Angeles home by Iwamasa, his assistant. The medical examiner ruled that ketamine, typically used as a surgical anesthetic, was the primary cause of death.
Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on "Friends," when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing. He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC's megahit series.
