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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Doctor accused of supplying Matthew Perry with ketamine agrees to plead guilty, court docs say
One of the doctors accused of supplying Matthew Perry with ketamine has agreed to plead guilty, according to court documents. Federal prosecutors said in a statement that Dr. Salvador Plasencia, of Santa Monica, California, is expected to plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine. He could face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine. The Friends actor - who portrayed Chandler Bing in the US show - was found dead on 28 October 2023, aged 54, at his home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office autopsy report, Perry died due to "acute effects" of ketamine and subsequent drowning. Dr. Plasencia, 43, who filed a plea agreement on Monday (16.06.25), will be the fourth person to plead guilty in connection to the late actor's passing. He was set to go on trial in August. The US Attorney's office for the Central District of California said they expect the doctor to enter his plea in the coming weeks. According to the plea agreement, Dr. Plasencia claims he worked with Dr. Mark Chavez - who pleaded guilty, in October, to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine - and sold "twenty 5ml vials of ketamine, less than a full package of ketamine lozenges, and syringes" to the actor's personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa between September 30, 2023, and October 12, 2023. Chavez previously claimed in his plea agreement that he sold ketamine to Plasencia off-market for Matthew to use. Iwamasa pleaded guilty on August 7 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, causing death. Chavez's sentencing is due to take place in September, and Iwamasa's in November. In August, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) clarified to E! News that Plasencia and Chavez had given up their right to advise and authorise the use of a medicine or treatment. Ahead of being arraigned, US Attorney Martin Estrada said about the duo at the time: "These defendants cared more about profiting off of Mr Perry than caring for his well-being. "Matthew Perry's journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday, to street dealers who gave him ketamine in unmarked vials."
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Doctor Who Supplied Matthew Perry With Ketamine Faces 40 Years Behind Bars For ‘Friends' Star's Death
One of the doctors who supplied Matthew Perry with ketamine in the Friends actor's final days in 2023 is set plead guilty to multiple counts of distributing the dissociative anesthetic. Charged in Perry's overdose in late October 2023, Dr. Salvador Plasencia has made a plea deal with the Department of Justice. As the charges of four counts of distribution of ketamine stand right now, the Santa Monica physician is facing a maximum sentence of 40 years behind bars. His trial was on the court calendar to start in August in Los Angeles, but with the deal announced Monday the trial is moot as sentencing looms. More from Deadline Matthew Perry Dies: 'Friends' Actor Was 54 Matthew Perry Death: Ketamine Queen & Drug Dealing Doctor Trial Set For 2025, Both Face Decades In Prison For Role In 'Friends' Star's Demise Juror Tossed Out Of Sean "Diddy" Combs Trial For Perceived "Lying"; Judge Admonishes Defense For Claiming Racial Bias Charging longtime addict Perry premium prices for the ketamine, L.A.-based Plasencia and Dr. Mark Chavez of San Diego clearly felt they had lucked into a gold mine with the actor and his desire for the drug. 'I wonder how much this moron will pay,' Plasencia ruthlessly texted Chavez at one point during their dealings with Perry. Perry's died October 28, 2023 at the age of 54. His body was discovered in a hot tub at his home. In December of that same year, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office declared that Perry, who had a public battle with drugs and booze, died from the 'acute effects of ketamine.' An autopsy report also cited drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine — a drug used to treat opioid use disorder — as contributing to his death. In May 2024, an LAPD spokesperson told Deadline that an open investigation into Perry's death was underway with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. We have seen the result of that probe in recent months and today. 'At the earliest opportunity requested by the USAO and provided by the Court, appear and plead guilty to Counts Six, Eight, Nine, and Ten of the first superseding indictment in United States v. Salvador Plasencia, which each charge defendant with distribution of ketamine,' the U.S. Attorney's office for the Central District of California said in a June 13 plea agreement made public Monday. Part of the agreement sees the feds promising to 'recommend a two-level reduction in the applicable Sentencing Guidelines offense level' to the judge. That could help bring Plasencia's sentence down to just a few years, maybe. The plea deal is signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian Yanniello, the defendant himself and Plasencia's lawyer Debra S. White. In an accompanying statement, the DOJ made sure to make clear that Plasencia has 'NOT YET PLEADED GUILTY (caps theirs).' The feds added: 'We expect he will plead guilty in the coming weeks. We will have no further comment.' Prosecutors do say in the plea deal that Plasencia did not provide Perry with the drugs that would kill him in his Pacific Palisades almost two years ago. Chavez and Perry's personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa previously entered guilty pleas and are set for sentencing in September and November, respectively. Former treatment center director Erik Fleming, who was involved in the fatal dose, entered a guilty plea in August to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Spotlighted as the individual who got Perry the ketamine that killed him, Jasveen Sangha, aka the 'Ketamine Queen,' is fighting charges of conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and more. Her trial is set to start later this summer. Best of Deadline 'Bachelor in Paradise' Cast Announcement: See Who Is Headed To The Beach For Season 10 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Doctor who supplied ketamine to Matthew Perry will plead guilty to drug charges
A physician charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death has agreed to plead guilty to distributing ketamine to the "Friends" star, according to a plea agreement filed Monday. Dr. Salvador Plasencia, known as Dr. P., was one of five people charged last year stemming from the investigation into Perry's death in October 2023. Plasencia faces up to 40 years in prison for the four counts of distribution of ketamine. Plasencia, of Santa Monica, had previously faced a variety of charges, including altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation. Plasencia's attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Three other defendants pleaded guilty last year in connection with Perry's death: Dr. Mark Chavez; Kenneth Iwamasa, who was Perry's live-in personal assistant; and alleged drug dealer Erik Fleming. The fifth defendant, Jasveen Sangha, aka the 'Ketamine Queen," has pleaded not guilty. Her trial is set for Aug. 19. Perry, 54, was found dead in the hot tub of his Pacific Palisades home on Oct. 28. He died from 'acute effects of ketamine,' according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office. Plasencia was accused of acquiring the ketamine for Perry and acting outside the scope of professional practice. Authorities say he not only distributed the drug that killed Perry, but also taught Iwamasa how to inject it into the actor. Iwamasa is accused of giving Perry the fatal dose. Perry, who had long been open about his challenges with drug and alcohol addiction, had sought treatment for depression and anxiety before his death, going to a local clinic where he became addicted to intravenous ketamine, then-DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said at an August news conference. When clinic doctors refused to increase his dosage, he turned to outside sources, Milgram said. According to the plea agreement, Plasencia was the owner and operator of an urgent care clinic, Malibu Canyon Urgent Care, in Malibu. He had applied and received authorization from the DEA to dispense, administer and prescribe narcotics and other controlled substances, as long as those prescriptions were for a legitimate medical purpose. In late September, about a month before Perry's death, Plasencia was introduced to Perry by one of his patients, who said the actor was a "high-profile person" willing to pay "cash and lots of thousands" for ketamine treatment, according to the agreement. Plasencia admitted in the agreement that he spoke to the actor by phone and continued to exchange texts with Perry about the request for ketamine, a legal medication commonly used as an anesthetic. The drug can be abused recreationally, with users drawn to it for its dissociative effects. The use of ketamine has boomed across the country, something medical experts have said is being driven by clinics and online services offering intravenous treatments and prescriptions for in-home use — such as lozenges and nasal sprays — for ailments including depression, post-traumatic stress and substance use disorder. After learning of Perry's interest, Plasencia contacted Chavez, who had previously operated a ketamine clinic, to obtain the drug to sell to the actor, according to the indictment. In text messages to Chavez, Plasencia discussed how much to charge Perry for the ketamine, stating, 'I wonder how much this moron will pay' and 'Lets find out,' according to the indictment. Plasencia also wrote in messages to Chavez saying he didn't want Perry to 'look elsewhere' for his ketamine supply. According to the indictment, Plasencia wrote that he wanted to be 'his go to.' According to the agreement, Perry had asked Plasencia if he would stay to administer the ketamine, to which he responded: "I will give you the first dose if you would like and leave supplies with you." Plasencia admitted that he traveled to Costa Mesa to buy four vials of liquid ketamine, an open box of ketamine lozenges that had been previously prescribed to a patient he didn't know, as well as gloves and syringes from Chavez. He paid Chavez $795. In the weeks that followed, the doctors distributed 20 vials of ketamine to Perry for $55,000 in cash, charging him $2,000 for a vial that cost Chavez $12, according to federal prosecutors and the indictment. Federal prosecutors allege Plasencia taught Iwamasa how to administer ketamine to Perry, sold the assistant the drug and left vials of it for Iwamasa to inject into the actor. Plasencia admitted that while administering ketamine to Perry at his home on Oct. 12, the actor's blood pressure spiked, causing him to "freeze up," according to the agreement. The doctor is also accused of injecting Perry with the drug inside a car in the parking lot of the Long Beach Aquarium. According to the plea agreement, 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. were not for a legitimate medical purpose." '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,' Milgram said during a news conference last year. 'The desperation that led Perry to these individuals was not met with help, as it should have been from the doctors," she said, "but instead it was met with exploitation.' According to Plasencia's indictment, by mid-October, Iwamasa had also begun obtaining ketamine for Perry from Sangha and Hollywood producer Erik Fleming, who provided the drug at a lower cost than the doctors were charging. Sangha sold about 50 vials of the drug to the actor, with Fleming delivering the product, for $11,000, authorities said. After Perry's death, Plasencia was accused of giving officials falsified documents showing a medical treatment plan for Perry that claimed he was being given a maximum dose of 60 milligrams over 24 hours. In fact, prosecutors said in the indictment that Perry was being injected with far higher doses. Fleming pleaded guilty last August to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Iwamasa, 59, pleaded guilty that same month to a count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. He also admitted injecting Perry with ketamine without medical training, including performing several injections on the day he died, authorities said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Matthew Perry's Doctor Pleads Guilty to Providing Actor Lethal Ketamine Before Death
Dr. Salvador Plasencia has agreed to plead guilty to distributing ketamine that led to 'Friends' star Matthew Perry's death. The physician made his plea in a Monday agreement. Plasencia is one of the five people charged in Perry's October 2023 death. He faces up to 40 years in prison for the four counts of ketamine distribution. Plasencia was charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine and other related offenses. In the agreement, he acknowledged that he provided Perry with ketamine without a legitimate medical purpose. He is the fourth person to plead guilty in regard to Perry's death. The others are Dr. Mark Chavez, the actor's personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa and Erik Fleming. Jasveen Sangha (a.k.a. 'The Ketamine Queen') has pleaded not guilty and is headed to trial in August. Chavez entered a guilty plea of one federal count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and could face up to 10 years in prison. As for Iwamasa, Perry's assistant pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death earlier this month and faces up to 15 years. When Chavez made his guilty plea he admitted to diverting vials of the drug from his former ketamine clinic and selling it to Dr. Plasencia, who provided it to Perry in a broader illegal distribution scheme. '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,' U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Anne Milgram said in a 2024 news conference. She continued: '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.' Perry was found dead in his hot tub on Oct. 28, 2023. His cause of death was ruled a ketamine overdose with drowning as a factor. He was 54. The post Matthew Perry's Doctor Pleads Guilty to Providing Actor Lethal Ketamine Before Death appeared first on TheWrap.
Fox News
10 hours ago
- Fox News
Matthew Perry doctor agrees to plead guilty on four counts in connection to star's death
A man who provided ketamine to Matthew Perry will plead guilty to multiple charges, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital. In a plea agreement filed Monday in federal court, Dr. Salvador Plasencia agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine. The plea carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Plascencia is expected to enter the plea in the coming weeks. The "Friends" star died on Oct. 28, 2023, after an apparent drowning in the hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home, authorities confirmed to Fox News Digital at the time. Plasencia, a ketamine source, was introduced to Perry by his assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, in September 2023. Plasencia, who obtained ketamine from Dr. Mark Chavez, allegedly taught the assistant how to inject Perry with the drug. Chavez previously ran a ketamine clinic and allegedly submitted a bogus prescription in the name of a former patient to secure the drug. This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.
