Dr. Salvador Plasencia is anticipated to admit guilt to charges linked to Matthew Perry’s accidental overdose in 2023. This is part of a series of legal actions against individuals who provided the “Friends” star with significant quantities of ketamine.
Last month, Plasencia consented to plead guilty to four charges of ketamine distribution, with a formal court hearing scheduled for Wednesday in federal court. Based on an agreement with prosecutors, Plasencia might face a maximum of 40 years imprisonment along with three years of supervised parole.
Plasencia also faces a fine of at least $2 million, the agreement states.
Perry was discovered deceased at his home in Pacific Palisades on October 28, 2023. The Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office has classified his death as accidental, attributed to the acute effects of ketamine.
The “Friends” actor was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression and anxiety, but an investigation found that Perry was seeking the drug illegally outside of his treatment.
Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s personal assistant, was one of five people charged in the actor’s death. Iwamasa plead guilty in 2024 and court documents in his case revealed that Perry was experiencing an out-of-control addiction.
The former assistant told authorities that Perry was introduced to Plasencia weeks before the actor died, and that the doctor sold Perry both liquid ketamine and ketamine lozenges. He also taught Iwamasa how to inject Perry, the assistant said, despite the fact that Iwamasa had no medical training.
Iwamasa’s plea agreement stated that Perry paid Plasencia up to $55,000 for the drug in the month prior to his death.
Federal prosecutors alleged in court documents that Plasencia told a patient that Perry was “too far gone and spiraling in his addiction,” but continued to sell him drugs anyway. Text messages between Plasencia and Mark Chavez, a former doctor who pled guilty in the Perry case, showed the men mocking how much money they could get from the actor for ketamine.
“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia said. “Lets find out.”
