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Salvador Plasencia, a California physician, has consented to plead guilty concerning the untimely passing of Friends star Matthew Perry, as confirmed by federal authorities.
At 42 years old, Plasencia has opted to plead guilty to four counts of illegally dispensing ketamine to Perry, preceding the 53-year-old actor’s October 28, 2023, accidental drug overdose, according to reports by NBC News. Initially, the doctor from Santa Monica had pleaded not guilty to seven counts of distributing ketamine, one count of conspiracy to distribute, in addition to two counts of document alteration and falsification.
Plasencia’s involvement, alongside that of four additional individuals charged in connection with Perry’s death, is explored in the program Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy, now accessible on Peacock.
How did Matthew Perry die?
The beloved actor was found dead in the jacuzzi of his Pacific Palisades home in Los Angeles following a fatal dose of ketamine, as widely reported.
Perry’s passing came after his personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, consensually administered the drug — known for its dissociative and hallucinogenic properties — “several times” despite having no medical training, according to federal documents reviewed by Oxygen.
Iwamasa was accused of obtaining the drug illegally from several sources — including Plasencia — to support Perry’s growing addiction. He left Perry at home to run errands, returning only to find his employer deceased. According to authorities, Eric Fleming, another individual charged in the Perry case, has admitted to distributing the ketamine that directly resulted in the actor’s death.
Did Salvador Plasencia plead guilty?
The Department of Justice announced Plasencia’s intention to plead guilty to the amended charges, ABC News reported. Plasencia is slated to officially enter the plea in the coming weeks, making him the fourth of five defendants in the Perry case to enter such a plea.
The plea agreement stated that Plasencia “admits that his conduct fell below the proper standard of medical care and that transfers of ketamine vials to Defendant Iwamasa and Victim M.P. [Matthrew Perry] were not for a legitimate medical purpose,” according to ABC News.
What was Salvador Plasencia accused of?
Federal prosecutors stated Plasencia colluded with San Diego physician and former ketamine clinic operator Dr. Mark Chavez to overcharge Perry for the illegal drug, with Iwamasa serving as the middleman, as detailed in Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy.
The medical professionals were accused of grossly inflating their prices from an average $12 per vial to a whopping $2,000 per vial, distributing the ketamine outside the usual course of professional practice, according to ABC News.
“I wonder how much the moron will pay,” Plasencia allegedly texted Chavez, feds stated in 2024. “Lets [sic] find out.”
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the State of California’s Central District said the accused pair sold Perry 20 vials for $55,000 during a one-month period. Plasencia was charged with supplying Iwamasa with the drug and showing him how to administer it despite Iwamasa having no formal training.
Iwamasa and Chavez both pleaded guilty to charges in 2024, as did confessed ketamine dealer Erik Fleming, the man law enforcement says supplied Iwamasa with the ketamine vial that killed Perry. All three will be sentenced in the fall, according to ABC News.
A fifth defendant, Jasveen Sangha, known to some as “The Ketamine Queen,” entered a plea of not guilty and faces trial. She is accused of giving the drug to Fleming while allegedly knowing its deadly effects.
As seen in Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy, federal prosecutors claimed Sangha knew the drug’s dangers after allegedly dealing to California man Cody McLaury, who died from the drug in 2019.
What happens to Salvador Plasencia now?
According to the proposed agreement, Plasencia faces 40 years behind bars, three years of supervised release, and fines exceeding $2 million, according to NBC News.
Following Plasencia’s agreement, Sangha will be the only defendant left to face trial, which is expected to begin in August 2025.
