Dr. Salvador Plasencia, implicated in the tragic passing of Matthew Perry, has agreed to a guilty plea deal.
Under a plea agreement submitted this Monday, 16 June, Dr. Plasencia confessed to four charges of unlawfully distributing ketamine to the famed Friends actor and could face up to 40 years behind bars.
Last year, five individuals were prosecuted following the investigation into Perry’s demise. Of those, three have already pled guilty – Dr. Mark Chavez; Kenneth Iwamasa, who was Perry’s live-in assistant; and an alleged drug dealer, Erik Fleming.
However, “Ketamine Queen” Jasveen Sangha has maintained her innocence with a not guilty plea.
In October 2023, Perry succumbed to the “acute effects of Ketamine,” per the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s report. Iwamasa discovered his body, reports the Mirror US.
Accusations arose that Dr. Plasencia sourced the illicit ketamine for Perry beyond any professional practice norms.
Allegations suggest that Dr. Pasencia provided Perry with the substance and even instructed Iwamasa on administering ketamine injections. Iwamasa admitted to repeatedly injected Perry with the substance on the night he died states the US State Department.
Perry never shied away from discussing his addiction battles publicly. He used intravenous ketamine treatments at a clinic to manage depression and anxiety conditions.
Anne Milgram of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration voiced concerns that Perry developed an addiction to ketamine, leading him to seek out further supplies from Dr. Plasencia when he couldn’t obtain them through legitimate channels.
In text messages made public between Plasencia and the other accused doctor, Chavez, they deliberated over how much to charge Perry for the drug. In the indictment, Plasencia referred to Perry, stating, “I wonder how much this moron will pay,”.
Federal prosecutors and court records reveal that the two doctors sold Perry 20 vials of ketamine for a whopping $55,000 in cash, charging him $2,000 per vial – a drug that cost Chavez a mere $12.
Last year, Milgram stated in a press conference, “Matthew Perry’s journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday and it ended with street dealers who sold him ketamine in unmarked vials.”
She further added, “The desperation that led Perry to these individuals was not met with help, as it should have been from the doctors but instead it was met with exploitation,”.
