Lately, there’s been a lot to celebrate in elementary schools in Modesto, California. Both reading and math scores have increased consistently over the past several years.

But across the country, results are gloomier. Researchers warn that the U.S. is experiencing a reading recession — a slide predating the pandemic’s disruptions in schooling.

Scholars at Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth analyzed state test scores from third to eighth grade for over 5,000 school districts in 38 states, allowing comparisons across school districts and states in a national Education Scorecard.

What they found was sobering: Only five states plus the District of Columbia had meaningful growth in reading test scores from 2022 to 2025. Nationally, students remain nearly half a grade level behind pre-pandemic reading scores and only slightly better in math.

While schools have focused on catching kids up since the COVID-19 pandemic upended education, reading test scores have been falling since 2013 for eighth graders and 2015 for fourth graders, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

“The pandemic was the mudslide that had followed seven years of steady erosion in achievement,” said Thomas Kane, a Harvard professor who helped create the Education Scorecard.

Still, some states and school districts are making progress — largely by shifting toward phonics-based instruction and providing extra support for struggling readers.

The picture is also brighter in math.

Almost every state in the analysis saw improvements in math test scores from 2022 to 2025. Student absenteeism also declined in most states. In over 400 U.S. school districts, including Modesto, reading or math growth outpaced demographically similar districts in the same state.

A shift toward phonics and extra reading support

Researchers are still debating the reading recession’s causes.

One possible factor, researchers say, is the rise of social media on smartphones and corresponding declines in kids’ recreational reading. States have also backed off on strict consequences for schools whose students fail to make progress on standardized tests, Kane said.

But the states that improved reading scores — notably Louisiana, Maryland, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana — all had one thing in common: They ordered schools to teach with a phonics-based approach known as the “science of reading.”

For years, schools taught reading using approaches that de-emphasized phonics and encouraged strategies such as guessing words based on context clues. As reading scores tumbled over the past decade, parents, scholars and literacy advocates pushed for teaching methods that align with decades of research about how kids learn to read — largely by sounding out words.

Along with reforming teaching methods, states have also required schools to screen for learning disabilities such as dyslexia and hire coaches to help teachers improve their reading instruction.

That said, “science of reading” reforms did not guarantee success. Some states, including Florida, Arizona and Nebraska, changed parts of their reading instruction but still saw test scores fall.

In Modesto, reading instruction was revamped during the pandemic, and math a couple years earlier. The district created a new department to help students who are still learning English. Schools also ramped up teacher training, paying educators $5,000 to complete an extensive “science of reading” program called LETRS, or Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling.

Modesto’s test scores grew enough to represent an extra 18 weeks of learning in math and 13 weeks in reading. Nevertheless, the district still has a way to go: Overall scores remain far below grade level.

Getting kids ‘consistently in the seat’ key to Detroit’s success

A focus on reading has also improved scores in Detroit — but so have efforts to get kids in school more consistently. For years, the large urban district struggled with deplorable school conditions, leading to a 2016 lawsuit in which students argued they’d been denied the “right to read.”

The lawsuit ended in a settlement of over $94 million, money that helped move the needle. While the district is still far below the national average, student test scores have grown faster than in similar urban districts in Michigan.

“It took a lot to rebuild systems, and now kids are learning at higher levels, but I’m still not satisfied. And I think that’s the next challenge: continuing to motivate, inspire and change things,” said Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.

The money has helped Munger Elementary-Middle School, located in a largely Latino neighborhood in Detroit, to employ 18 educators who give kids extra support in small groups. An attendance agent also makes calls to the homes of absent students, even showing up at their doors.

Just a few years ago, says first grade teacher Samantha Ciaffone, it was normal for about seven or eight kids to be absent from her class every day. Now it’s usually only one or two.

“It allows us to be better educators to see kids consistently in the seat instead of once or twice a week,” said Ciaffone. “It makes such a difference.”

A bright spot in the South

For the last decade, the South has stood out as a region leading the way on education reforms — bucking an established trend of landing at the bottom of education rankings. Southern states were quick to change to research-based teaching methods, and states have paid to train and coach teachers.

It’s paid off. Louisiana and Alabama were the only states where math scores were higher in 2025 than pre-pandemic. Louisiana is also the only state that beat its pre-pandemic average in reading, with 87% of traditional public school students attending a district where scores are higher than in 2019.

Alabama had standout gains in reading following the pandemic, driven by a state law requiring every school to use phonics-based instruction. The Legislature modeled math reforms in 2022 off Alabama’s reading successes. The state’s Numeracy Act standardized math instruction, required regular testing and mandated intervention for kids who lacked adequate math skills.

Oxmoor Valley Elementary in Birmingham hired a full-time math specialist this year to help struggling kids. The school, which made the state’s “failing” list in 2016, has steadily improved math and reading scores, although a majority of kids still test below proficient in both subjects.

“We can provide all of these supports, but at the same time, hold kids to high expectations,” Birmingham Superintendent Mark Sullivan said.

Researchers stress such progress is possible across the U.S., because it’s been done before. Starting in the 1990s, the country saw decades of growth in test scores and graduation rates, while racial disparities declined. That progress continued until the mid-2010s.

“We made enormous progress as a country in terms of educational success from over a 30-year period. Test scores went up dramatically,” said Stanford professor Sean Reardon. “And so I think that says, as a country, we can improve education and educational opportunity.”

At Modesto’s Fairview Elementary, where Barajas teaches, students now practice their reading speed and fluency every day. After a dance break, the class reads a one-page text together in unison for one minute, then students split into pairs to read again. Students learning English are paired with native English speakers, and each child gets a turn reading with Barajas.

“Eventually, you get through the word like it’s water,” one boy said. “You just say it smooth.”

It was the third straight annual drop, making it the longest decline in decades, according to federal data released Wednesday (May 13, 2026). The 2025 total is about the same as the tally in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Declines were seen across a number of drug types, including fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine. Overdose deaths fell in the vast majority of states, although seven saw at least slight increases, including jumps of 10% or more in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, the preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that this represents really a fundamental change in the arc of the overdose crisis,” said Brandon Marshall, a Brown University researcher who studies overdose trends.

But the number of Americans dying from overdoses is still high, and deaths declined at a slower pace last year. A number of things could cause deaths to rise again — including government policy changes or a shift in the drug supply, Marshall and other researchers say.

“If deaths are going down rapidly, that means they can increase just as rapidly if we take our foot off the gas,” Marshall said.

Graduates Frances, Misty, Teyaune, Raden, Keith and Leslie were honored by family, friends and supporters during a ceremony Wednesday morning (May 13, 2026) in Pierre. Together they had a total of 3611 days of sobriety.

May is National Treatment Court Month. The Sixth Judicial Circuit established its DUI court in 2009, followed by its drug court in 2014. South Dakota’s 17 Drug, DUI, Veterans and Mental Health courts use a combination of supervision, treatment and support to help people with substance use and/or mental health disorders change their lives into ones of stability, wellness and recovery.

According to the South Dakota Unified Judicial System, the treatment court programs have proven to be an effective strategy for addressing substance use and mental health disorders while reducing recidivism and saving taxpayer dollars. The programs have have served 2970 individuals, with more than 1400 of them– or 6 out of every 10– completing the treatment court program.

For more information about Sixth Circuit Treatment Court, contact Coordinator Courtney Tedder at:

• 605-223-7618, or

• via email, Courtney.Tedder@ujs.state.sd.us.

Learn more about South Dakota’s treatment courts, on the UJS website, https://ujs.sd.gov/programs-services/treatment-courts.

Sixth Circuit Treatment Court graduation.
May 13, 2026.
Photo credit to Jody Heemstra, DRG Media Group.

Sixth Circuit Treatment Court graduation.
May 13, 2026.
Photo credit to Jody Heemstra, DRG Media Group.

Sixth Circuit Treatment Court graduation.
May 13, 2026.
Photo credit to Jody Heemstra, DRG Media Group.

Sixth Circuit Treatment Court graduation.
May 13, 2026.
Photo credit to Jody Heemstra, DRG Media Group.

Sixth Circuit Treatment Court graduation.
May 13, 2026.
Photo credit to Jody Heemstra, DRG Media Group.

Sixth Circuit Treatment Court graduates.
May 13, 2026.
Photo credit to Jody Heemstra, DRG Media Group.

Sixth Circuit Treatment Court graduates.
May 13, 2026.
Photo credit to Jody Heemstra, DRG Media Group.

Sixth Circuit Treatment Court graduates with First Lady of South Dakota Sandy Rhoden (center).
May 13, 2026.
Photo credit to Jody Heemstra, DRG Media Group.

The USDA Economic Research Service reported ongoing research tied to commodity programs, conservation, crop insurance and rural development will play a major role in shaping future agricultural policy. Agricultural organizations are also closely monitoring USDA reports on farm income, commodity costs and export demand as planting season advances across much of the country.

The House Agriculture Committee said lawmakers continue debating funding levels for conservation programs, rural development initiatives and specialty crop programs as negotiations over the next farm bill continue. Farm leaders say research funding and access to credit remain especially important for producers dealing with volatile markets and weather conditions.

Agricultural economists warn decisions made during the coming months could significantly influence producer profitability and long-term risk management strategies across the farm sector..

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — A Utah woman found guilty of aggravated murder in her husband’s death finds out (May 13, 2026) how long she will spend in prison at a sentencing hearing in Park City, Utah. Kouri Richins wrote a children’s book about grief after her husband died in 2022 and was arrested a year later in his death. Prosecutors said she laced her husband’s drink with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl. She also tried to poison him weeks earlier on Valentine’s Day. Richins was millions in debt and planning a future with another man. She faces several decades to life in prison on five felony convictions.

March 17, 2026:

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — A Utah woman has been convicted of aggravated murder after poisoning her husband with fentanyl and then self-publishing a children’s book about coping with grief. Jurors on Monday (March 16, 2026) also found Kouri Richins guilty of fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after the death of Eric Richins in March 2022 at their home outside the ski town of Park City. Prosecutors say Kouri Richins slipped five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid into a cocktail that he drank. After her husband’s death, Richins self-published a children’s book about grief to help her sons and other kids cope with the loss of a parent.

Feb. 23, 2026:

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Prosecutors portrayed a Utah mother and children’s book author as a money-hungry killer Monday (Feb. 23, 2026) on the first day of a murder trial in her husband’s death, while her defense team urged jurors not to make judgments before hearing her side.

Kouri Richins, 35, faces a slew of felony charges for allegedly killing her husband, Eric Richins, with fentanyl in March 2022 at their home just outside the ski town of Park City. She has vehemently denied the allegations.

Prosecutors say she slipped five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid into a cocktail that he drank. She is also accused of trying to poison him a month earlier on Valentine’s Day with a fentanyl-laced sandwich that made him break out in hives and black out, according to court documents.

After her husband’s death, Kouri Richins self-published a children’s book about grief to help her sons and other kids cope with the loss of a parent.

As arguments in the case got underway Monday, Richins sat next to her attorneys, taking notes and passing some to them. It wasn’t known whether she would take the stand in her defense.

Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth told jurors that Richins was $4.5 million in debt and falsely believed that if her husband died she would inherit his estate worth more than $4 million. Prosecutors have argued she was planning a future with another man she was seeing on the side.

“The evidence will prove that Kouri Richins murdered Eric for his money and to get a fresh start at life,” Bloodworth said. “More than anything, she wanted his money to perpetuate her facade of privilege, affluence and success.”

Almost $2 million in life insurance policies

Defense attorney Kathryn Nester started her opening statement by playing the recording of Richins’ 911 call from the night of her husband’s death. Richins was sobbing hysterically on the call and seemed barely able to answer the dispatcher’s questions.

“Those were the sounds of a wife becoming a widow,” Nester said.

Eric Richins had Lyme disease and was addicted to painkillers, Nester argued. She suggested he may have overdosed.

However, Eric Richins’ sister Katie Richins-Benson testified that their mother was a drug and alcohol counselor who had instilled in the siblings from an early age the dangers of drug use.

The trial is slated to run through March 26. A few dozen people hoping to watch camped outside the courthouse in lawn chairs starting at 4 a.m., four and a half hours before the trial began.

Richins faces nearly three dozen counts, including aggravated murder, attempted murder, forgery, mortgage fraud and insurance fraud. The murder charge alone carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

In the months before her arrest in May 2023, Richins self-published the illustrated children’s book “Are You with Me?” about a father with angel wings watching over his young son after passing away. The book could play a key role for prosecutors in framing Eric Richins’ death as a calculated killing with an elaborate cover-up attempt. Bloodworth told jurors Monday about how Richins promoted it on local TV and radio stations.

Years before her husband’s death, Richins opened numerous life insurance policies on Eric Richins without his knowledge, with benefits totaling nearly $2 million, prosecutors alleged. Court documents also indicate she had a negative bank account balance and was being sued by a creditor.

Bloodworth showed the jury a series of text messages between Kouri Richins and Robert Josh Grossman, the man with whom she was having an affair. She had texted Grossman about her dream of leaving her husband, gaining millions in the divorce and one day marrying Grossman.

Bloodworth also showed screenshots of Richins’ internet search history, which included “luxury prisons for the rich America” and “Can cops force you to do a lie detector test?”

Richins ‘not how she normally was’ on night of husband’s death

Eric Richins’ sister testified that she rushed to her brother’s house after hearing from another family member that he wasn’t breathing. Richins-Benson ran inside and locked eyes with Richins, who just shook her head, she recalled.

“That’s when I knew my brother was gone,” the sister said through tears.

“I observed that she was not how she normally was,” Richins-Benson said of the defendant. “She was very well put together. She had a matching pajama-esque outfit on. Her hair was all done up. She wasn’t crying like I was.”

Defense attorneys pushed back on that characterization.

Empty pill bottles and marijuana gummies

Among the key witnesses expected to be called later in the trial is the family’s housekeeper Carmen Lauber, who claims to have sold fentanyl to Kouri Richins on multiple occasions.

Lauber is not charged in connection with the case, and detectives have said she was granted immunity.

Defense attorneys argued Monday that Lauber did not actually give Richins fentanyl and was motivated to lie for legal protection. No fentanyl was ever found in Richins’ house, and the housekeeper’s dealer has said he was in jail and detoxing from drug use when he told detectives in 2023 that he sold fentanyl to Lauber. He later said in a sworn affidavit that he sold her only the opioid OxyContin.

Nester showed jurors photos of an empty pill bottle sitting on Eric Richins’ bedside table the night of his death and bags of marijuana gummies he was known to use regularly. She said he had asked his wife to procure opioids for him.

AUGUST 27, 2024:

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — A Utah mother of three who published a children’s book about grief after her husband’s death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him will stand trial. Utah state Judge Richard Mrazik ruled on the second day of Kouri Richins’ preliminary hearing that prosecutors had presented enough evidence against her to proceed with a jury trial. Richins faces a slew of felony charges for allegedly killing her husband, Eric Richins, with a lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022 at their home in a small mountain town near Park City. She has been adamant in maintaining she is innocent.

JUNE 13, 2023:

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — A Utah mother of three who authorities say fatally poisoned her husband then wrote a children’s book about grieving is asking a court to let her out on bail. A court on Monday (June 12, 2023) heard arguments about whether 33-year-old Kouri Richins should remain detained or be released throughout her trial. Richins is accused of slipping five times the lethal dose of fentanyl into a cocktail she made for her husband. She later wrote a picture book she described on a promotional tour as a resource to help children grieve the loss of parents. If the case goes to trial, it will likely revolve around marital and financial disputes that prosecutors are framing as possible motives.

Names of the those involved have not been released pending notification of family members.

Preliminary crash information indicates the driver of a 2014 Chevrolet Equinox was traveling northbound on 435th Avenue, when she approached the stop sign that intersects SD Highway 44. At the same time the driver of 1996 Kenworth TT was traveling westbound on SD Highway 44 near 435th Avenue. The driver of the Equinox entered the intersection and was struck by the Kenworth TT.

The driver of the Equinox sustained fatal injuries. SD Highway 44 was closed for several hours following the crash.

The investigation is ongoing.

The Highway Patrol is an agency of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A licensed addiction counselor who helped sell ketamine to “Friends” star Matthew Perry is set to be sentenced (May 13, 2026). Prosecutors are asking for Erik Fleming to be sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. He has pleaded guilty to distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Fleming connected Perry with drug dealer Jasveen Sangha, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Fleming cooperated with authorities and gave up Sangha. He delivered 25 vials of Sangha’s ketamine to Perry four days before his death. Fleming’s attorneys have asked the Los Angeles federal judge to sentence him to three months in prison and nine months in a residential treatment facility.

April 8, 2026, update:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge has handed down a sentence of 15 years in prison to a woman who pleaded guilty to selling “Friends” star Matthew Perry the ketamine that killed him in a 2023 overdose. Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett sentenced 42-year-old Jasveen Sangha on Wednesday (April 8, 2026). Sangha is the third defendant to be sentenced of the five people who have pleaded guilty in connection with the 54-year-old “Friends” star’s death. Prosecutors had recommend a 15-year sentence for Sangha. They cast her in court filings as a “Ketamine Queen” who had an elaborate drug operation catering to high-end clients.

April 8, 2026:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman who admitted to selling Matthew Perry the ketamine that killed him is set to be sentenced. Jasveen Sangha will be the third defendant to be sentenced of the five people who have pleaded guilty in connection with the 2023 overdose of the “Friends” star. Prosecutors say she should get 15 years in prison when she’s sentenced Wednesday (April 8, 2026) in federal court in Los Angeles. Defense lawyers say the time she’s spent in jail since her 2024 indictment should be sufficient. Perry died at age 54 of an overdose of ketamine. He was taking it legally, but wanted more than his doctor would give him and sought out Sangha.

Dec. 17, 2025:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A doctor who pleaded guilty in a scheme to supply ketamine to actor Matthew Perry before his overdose death was sentenced Tuesday (Dec. 16, 2025) to 8 months of home confinement.

Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence that included 3 years of supervised release to 55-year-old Dr. Mark Chavez in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles.

Before the sentence was delivered, Chavez addressed the judge and said he had lost a loved one recently and understood the grief that Perry’s death has caused.

“I just want to say my heart goes out to the Perry family,” he said.

Chavez acquired ketamine and gave it to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison earlier this month for selling ketamine to Perry in the months leading up to his death.

Chavez’s attorneys emphasized the difference between the two doctors and said that Chavez “accepted responsibility early” by cooperating with investigators and voluntarily giving up his medical license ahead of his detention hearing.

“These are real steps that someone takes toward accountability,” attorney Matthew Binninger said.

He called the sentence a “fair and just outcome” for the case.

Perry had been taking the surgical anesthetic ketamine legally as a treatment for depression. But when his regular doctor wouldn’t provide it in the amounts he wanted, he turned to Plasencia.

Plasencia admitted to taking advantage of Perry, knowing he was a struggling addict. Plasencia texted Chavez that Perry was a “moron” who could be exploited for money, according to court filings.

Chavez admitted to obtaining the ketamine from a wholesale distributor on false pretenses and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He has not been in custody.

Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on “Friends,” when he became one of the biggest TV 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.

Chavez is the second person to be sentenced of the five defendants who have pleaded guilty in connection with Perry’s death at age 54 in 2023.

Perry was found dead by his assistant on Oct. 28. The medical examiner ruled ketamine was the primary cause of death. The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression that has become increasingly common.

Seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him, about a month before his death Perry found Plasencia, who in turn asked Chavez to obtain the drug for him.

He met with Plasencia between San Diego and Los Angeles to hand off ketamine he got using fraudulent prescriptions. In all, he admitted to supplying 22 5-milliliter vials of ketamine and nine ketamine lozenges.

Chavez will also be expected to do 300 hours of community service.

The other three defendants who reached deals to plead guilty will be sentenced at their own hearings in the coming months. Garnett has said she would seek to make sure all the sentences made sense in relation to one another.

Dec. 3, 2025:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A doctor who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks before the “Friends” star’s overdose death was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison on Wednesday (Dec. 3, 2025).

Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence plus two years of probation to 44-year-old Dr. Salvador Plasencia in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles.

The judge emphasized that Plasencia didn’t provide the ketamine that killed Perry, but told him, “You and others helped Mr. Perry on the road to such an ending by continuing to feed his ketamine addiction.”

“You exploited Mr. Perry’s addiction for your own profit,” she said.

Plasencia was led from the courtroom in handcuffs as his mother cried loudly in the audience. He might have arranged a date to surrender, but his lawyers said he was prepared to do it today.

Perry’s mother and two half sisters gave tearful victim impact statements before the sentencing.

“The world mourns my brother,” Madeleine Morrison said. “He was everyone’s favorite friend.”

“My brother’s death turned my world upside down,” Morrison said, crying. “It punched a crater in my life. His absence is everywhere.”

Plasencia was the first to be sentenced of the five defendants who have pleaded guilty in connection with Perry’s death at age 54 in 2023.

The doctor admitted to taking advantage of Perry, knowing he was a struggling addict. Plasencia texted another doctor that Perry was a “moron” who could be exploited for money, according to court filings.

Prosecutors had asked for three years in prison, while the defense sought just a day in prison plus probation.

Perry’s mother talked about the things he overcame in life and the strength he showed.

“I used to think he couldn’t die,” Suzanne Perry said as her husband, “Dateline” journalist Keith Morrison, stood at the podium with her.

“You called him a ‘moron,’” she said. “There is nothing moronic about that man. He was even a successful drug addict.”

She spoke eloquently and apologized for rambling before getting tearful at the end, saying, “this was a bad thing you did!” as she cried.

Plasencia also spoke before the sentencing, breaking into tears as he imagined the day he would have to tell his now 2-year-old son “about the time I didn’t protect another mother’s son. It hurts me so much. I can’t believe I’m here.”

He apologized directly to Perry’s family. “I should have protected him,” he said.

Perry had been taking the surgical anesthetic ketamine legally as a treatment for depression. But when his regular doctor wouldn’t provide it in the amounts he wanted, he turned to Plasencia, who admitted to illegally selling to Perry and knowing he was a struggling addict.

Plasencia’s lawyers tried to give a sympathetic portrait of him as a man who rose out of poverty to become a doctor beloved by his patients, some of whom provided testimonials about him for the court.

The attorneys called his selling to Perry “reckless” and “the biggest mistake of his life.”

Plasencia pleaded guilty in July to four counts of distribution of ketamine. Prosecutors agreed to drop five different counts. The agreement came with no sentencing guarantees, and legally Garnett can give him up to 40 years.

The other four defendants who reached deals to plead guilty will be sentenced at their own hearings in the coming months.

Perry died at age 54 in 2023 after struggling 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.

Sept. 3, 2025:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman branded as the “Ketamine Queen” pleaded guilty Wednesday (Sept. 3, 2025) to selling Matthew Perry the drug that killed the “Friends” star.

Jasveen Sangha pleaded guilty to five federal charges, including providing the ketamine that led to Perry’s death. Her trial had been planned to start later this month. She is the fifth and final defendant charged in Perry’s overdose death to admit guilt.

Perry’s mother, Suzanne Perry, and his stepfather, “Dateline” reporter Keith Morrison, sat in the audience. It was their first time attending court proceedings since the announcement of the indictments one year ago.

Wearing tan jail garb, she stood in court Wednesday next to her attorney Mark Geragos as she repeated “guilty” five times as U.S. District Court Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett asked for her pleas.

Before that she answered “yes, your honor” to dozens of procedural questions, hedging slightly when the judge asked if she knew the drugs she was giving to co-defendant and middleman Erik Fleming were going to Perry.

“There was no way I could tell 100%,” she said. She later added, to a similar question on vials of ketamine she gave to Fleming, that “I didn’t know if all of them or some of them” were bound for Perry. The comments didn’t affect her plea agreement.

Prosecutors had cast Sangha, a 42-year-old citizen of the U.S. and the U.K., 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.

Making good on a deal she signed on Aug. 18, Sangha pleaded 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.

Prosecutors agreed to drop three other counts related to the distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of methamphetamine that was unrelated to the Perry case.

Geragos, whose other clients have included Michael Jackson, Chris Brown and the Menendez brothers, told the judge that the deal was reached “after a robust back-and-forth with the government.”

The final plea deal came a year after federal prosecutors announced that five people had been charged in Perry’s Oct. 28, 2023 death after a sweeping investigation.

Sangha is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 10. She could get up to 65 years in prison. The judge is not bound to follow any terms of the plea agreement, but prosecutors said in the document that they will ask for less than the maximum. None of the co-defendants have been sentenced yet.

Sangha and Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who pleaded guilty in July, had been the primary targets of the investigation. Three other defendants — Dr. Mark Chavez, Kenneth Iwamasa and Fleming — pleaded guilty in exchange for their cooperation, which included statements implicating Sangha and Plasencia.

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.

Sangha presented a posh lifestyle on Instagram, with photos of herself with the rich and famous in cities around the globe. Prosecutors said she privately presented herself as a dealer who sold to the same kind of high-class customers.

Perry had been using ketamine through his regular doctor as a legal, but off-label, treatment for depression, which has become increasingly common. Perry, 54, sought more ketamine than his doctor would give him, and his search for more led him to Sangha through his friend Fleming about two weeks before his death, prosecutors said.

Fleming messaged Perry’s assistant saying her ketamine was “amazing” and that she deals only “with high end and celebs.”

Perry bought large amounts of ketamine from Sangha, including 25 vials for $6,000 in cash four days before his death, prosecutors said.

On the day of Perry’s death, Sangha told Fleming they should delete all the messages they had sent each other, according to her indictment.

Sangha has been in federal custody for about a year.

Perry struggled with addiction for many 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.

July 23, 2025:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A doctor who was a primary target in the sweeping investigation of actor Matthew Perry’s overdose death pleaded guilty Wednesday (July 23, 2025) to supplying the “Friends” star with ketamine despite knowing he was a struggling addict.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia became the fourth of the five people charged in connection with Perry’s death to plead guilty. He and a woman prosecutors say was a major ketamine dealer faced the most serious charges after Perry was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28, 2023.

Plasencia stood next to his lawyer and said “guilty” four times for four different counts before Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in federal court in Los Angeles.

Plasencia, 43, was to have gone on trial in August until the doctor agreed last month to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, according to the signed document filed in federal court in Los Angeles.

The charges can carry up to 40 years in prison. He is likely to be sentenced to much less, but there is no guarantee in his agreement.

He spoke only to answer the judge’s questions. When asked if his lawyers had considered all the possibilities of pleas and sentencing in the case, Plasencia replied, “They’ve considered everything.”

One of Matthew Perry’s ketamine suppliers expresses regret

“Dr. Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry,” the doctor’s attorney, Debra White, said in an emailed statement after the hearing. “He is fully accepting responsibility by pleading guilty to drug distribution. Dr. Plasencia intends to voluntarily surrender his medical license, acknowledging his failure to protect Mr. Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction.”

In exchange for the guilty pleas, prosecutors have agreed to drop three additional counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of falsifying records.

Prosecutors outlined the charges in court before the plea, and said that he did not sell Perry the dose that killed the actor.

They described, and Plasencia admitted, that Perry froze up and his blood pressure spiked when the doctor gave him one injection, but Plasencia still left more ketamine for Perry’s assistant to inject.

In court, Perry was referred to only as “victim MP.” Plasencia acknowledged that he knew the actor was in addict when he charged him thousands of dollars and gave him ketamine, a drug primarily used as a surgical anesthetic.

Plasencia has been free on bond since shortly after his arrest in August, and will be allowed to remain free until his Dec. 3 sentencing.

Defense lawyer Karen Goldstein assured the judge that he is not a flight risk, saying he was born and raised in the area and is one of the primary caretakers for his son, who is about 2 years old.

Plasencia has already turned over his license to prescribe controlled substances. He has been allowed to practice medicine in the past year, but he must inform patients of the charges before treating them. Goldstein told the judge he’ll now surrender his medical license too.

Plasencia left the courthouse with his lawyers without speaking to reporters gathered outside.

Case raises questions about at-home ketamine use

“While Dr. Plasencia was not treating Mr. Perry at the time of his death,” his lawyer’s statement said, “he hopes his case serves as a warning to other medical professionals and leads to stricter oversight and clear protocols for the rapidly growing at-home ketamine industry in order to prevent future tragedies like this.”

The only remaining defendant who has not reached an agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office is Jasveen Sangha, who prosecutors allege is a drug dealer known as the “Ketamine Queen” and sold Perry the lethal dose. Her trial is scheduled to begin next month. She has pleaded not guilty.

According to prosecutors and co-defendants who reached their own deals, Plasencia illegally supplied Perry with a large amount of ketamine starting about a month before his death on Oct. 28, 2023.

According to a co-defendant, Plasencia in a text message called the actor a “moron” who could be exploited for money.

Perry’s personal assistant, his friend, and another doctor all agreed to plead guilty last year in exchange for their cooperation as the government sought to make their case against larger targets, Plasencia and Sangha. None have been sentenced yet.

Perry was found dead by the assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. The medical examiner ruled that ketamine was the primary cause of death.

The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression, which has become increasingly common. Perry began seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him.

Plasencia admitted in his plea agreement that another patient connected him with Perry, and that starting about a month before Perry’s death, he illegally supplied the actor with 20 vials of ketamine totaling 100 mg of the drug, along with ketamine lozenges and syringes.

He admitted to enlisting another doctor, Mark Chavez, to supply the drug for him, according to the court filings.

“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia texted Chavez, according to Chavez’s plea agreement.

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.

June 17, 2025:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A doctor charged with giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the month leading up to the “Friends” star’s overdose death will plead guilty, according to an agreement filed in court Monday (June 16, 2025).

Dr. Salvador Plasencia agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, according to the signed document filed in federal court in Los Angeles. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to drop three additional counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of falsifying records.

Federal prosecutors said in a statement that the plea carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. They said Plasencia is expected to formally plead guilty in the coming weeks.

According to a co-defendant, Plasencia in a text message called the actor a “moron” who could be exploited for money. The physician had been one of the primary targets of the prosecution, along with a woman accused of being a ketamine dealer. Three other defendants, including another doctor, agreed to plead guilty last year in exchange for their cooperation.

Plasencia and the woman, Jasveen Sangha, had been scheduled to face trial in August. An email to his attorney seeking comment was not immediately answered.

Perry was found dead by his assistant on Oct. 28, 2023. The medical examiner ruled that ketamine, typically used as a surgical anesthetic, was the primary cause of death.

The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression, which has become increasingly common. Perry, 54, began seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him.

Plasencia admitted in his plea agreement that another patient connected him with Perry, and that starting about a month before Perry’s death, he illegally supplied the actor with 20 vials of ketamine totaling 100 mg of the drug, along with ketamine lozenges and syringes.

He admitted to enlisting the other doctor, Mark Chavez, to supply the drug for him, according to the court filings.

“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia texted Chavez, according to Chavez’s plea agreement. The two met up the same day in Costa Mesa, halfway between the Los Angeles area where Plasencia practiced and San Diego, where Chavez practiced, and exchanged several vials of ketamine, the filings said.

After selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500, Plasencia allegedly asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them so they could become Perry’s “go-to,” prosecutors said.

Plasencia admitted to visiting Perry’s house twice and injecting him with ketamine. He also left ketamine behind and showed Perry’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, how to inject it, according to Iwamasa’s plea agreement. The doctor later met up with Iwamasa and gave him more ketamine for Perry, according to the document.

Perry was also getting ketamine from another source, Sangha, who prosecutors allege was a major dealer and supplied the dose that killed the actor.

Sangha has pleaded not guilty — making her the only one of the five people charged in Perry’s death who has not entered a plea agreement. She remains jailed as she awaits trial. Plasencia was freed on bond after his initial court appearances.

Erik Fleming, a friend of Perry who said he acted as a middleman and drug messenger, has also pleaded guilty and has been cooperating with prosecutors.

None of the defendants has yet been sentenced. Plasencia’s plea deal makes no specific sentencing guarantees.

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.

October 2, 2024:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A San Diego doctor charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s fatal overdose has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine. Dr. Mark Chavez entered the plea Wednesday (Oct. 2, 2024) in a Los Angeles federal court. The “Friends” star died last year of an overdose of the powerful anesthetic. Chavez and two others have now pleaded guilty in the case and agreed to cooperate. Prosecutors’ two main targets are a doctor allegedly supplied by Chavez who is accused of selling the drug to Perry, and a woman who prosecutors say is a drug dealer who sold him the lethal dose.

For varsity football officials, their pay will be increased from $125 to $150 per game, a rate established by the SDHSAA. Gymnastics score-flippers for an Eastern South Dakota meet will see an increase from $150 to $175, an increase driven by ESD schools. In softball, instead of paying umpires $55 for junior varsity and $75 for varsity, because so many umpires do both games, they will increase the total pay from $130 to $140 for the two-game set.

Mileage for varsity officials was also increased from 66 cents per mile to 70.

They also elected not to raise entry prices for activity entry fees and prices for events in the upcoming season. A year ago, this was not brought in front of the board because there were to be no changes, the same outcome this year. This is a motion that will be heard on an annual basis.

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