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Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Matthew Perry doctor to plead guilty to supplying ketamine to Friends star
A California doctor charged in the overdose death of Friends star Matthew Perry has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of illegal distribution of the drug ketamine, according to a court filing on Monday. Salvador Plasencia, who operated an urgent care clinic in Malibu, faces up to 40 years in prison, according to a statement from prosecutors. He is expected to enter the guilty plea in the coming weeks. Plasencia was one of five people charged in the death of Perry at age 54. READ MORE An autopsy found the actor died from acute effects of ketamine and other factors that caused him to lose consciousness and drown in his hot tub in October 2023. Ketamine is a short-acting anaesthetic with hallucinogenic properties. It is sometimes prescribed to treat depression and anxiety but also abused by recreational users. In the plea agreement, Plasencia admitted to injecting Perry with ketamine at the actor's home and in a Santa Monica parking lot in the weeks before his death, in exchange for thousands of dollars, and that it was 'not for legitimate medical purposes.' Plasencia obtained the ketamine from another doctor, Mark Chavez of San Diego. According to earlier court filings, Plasencia texted Chavez about Perry, saying: 'I wonder how much this moron will pay.' Chavez and two other defendants already have pleaded guilty in the case. None has yet been sentenced. A fifth defendant, Jasveen Sangha, whom authorities said was a drug dealer known to customers as the 'ketamine queen', has been charged with supplying the dose that killed Perry. She has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial in August. Perry had publicly acknowledged decades of substance abuse, including during the years he starred as Chandler Bing on the hit 1990s television sitcom Friends. – Reuters
CNA
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Doctor to plead guilty to supplying ketamine to 'Friends' star Matthew Perry
A California doctor charged in the overdose death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of illegal distribution of the drug ketamine, according to a court filing on Monday (Jun 16). Salvador Plasencia, who operated an urgent care clinic in Malibu, faces up to 40 years in prison, according to a statement from prosecutors. He is expected to enter the guilty plea in the coming weeks. Plasencia was one of five people charged in the death of Perry at age 54. An autopsy found the actor died from acute effects of ketamine and other factors that caused him to lose consciousness and drown in his hot tub in October 2023. Ketamine is a short-acting anaesthetic with hallucinogenic properties. It is sometimes prescribed to treat depression and anxiety, but also abused by recreational users. In the plea agreement, Plasencia admitted to injecting Perry with ketamine at the actor's home and in a Santa Monica parking lot in the weeks before his death, in exchange for thousands of dollars, and that it was "not for legitimate medical purposes". Plasencia obtained the ketamine from another doctor, Mark Chavez of San Diego. According to earlier court filings, Plasencia texted Chavez about Perry, saying "I wonder how much this moron will pay". Chavez and two other defendants have already pleaded guilty in the case. None has yet been sentenced. A fifth defendant, Jasveen Sangha, whom authorities said was a drug dealer known to customers as the "ketamine queen", has been charged with supplying the dose that killed Perry. She has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial in August. Perry had publicly acknowledged decades of substance abuse, including during the years he starred as Chandler Bing on the hit 1990s television sitcom "Friends".
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Doctor who supplied ketamine to Matthew Perry and called him a ‘moron' will plead guilty
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. 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.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
One of the doctors accused of providing ketamine to Matthew Perry agrees to plead guilty, filing shows
One of the doctors accused of providing ketamine to actor Matthew Perry, who died in October 2023, has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, a plea agreement filed Monday shows. Dr. Salvador Plasencia, of Santa Monica, California, is one of five people who were charged in relation to Perry's death. Prosecutors say an underground network of drug sellers and suppliers were responsible for distributing the ketamine that killed Perry, who starred in the TV show 'Friends.' Perry died at age 54 because of 'acute effects' of ketamine and subsequent drowning, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office autopsy report. His body was found floating face down in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home. Plasencia faces a maximum sentence of 40 years, a three-year period of supervised release, and a fine of $2 million or twice the gross gain or loss from the offenses, whatever is greatest, as well as a mandatory $400 special assessment, the US Attorney's office for the Central District of California said. He is expected to enter his plea in the coming weeks, they said. CNN has reached out to Plasencia's attorneys for comment. Plasencia would be the fourth defendant to plead guilty in the case. His trial, where he would be tried alongside alleged drug dealer Jasveen Sangha, was expected to take place in August of this year. He was originally charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation, according to the US Attorney's office. In the plea agreement, Plasencia said he worked with Dr. Mark Chavez, one of the defendants who previously pleaded guilty, and sold 'twenty 5ml vials of ketamine, less than a full package of ketamine lozenges, and syringes' to Perry's personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa between September 30, 2023, and October 12, 2023. Martin Estrada, who was US attorney for the Central District of California at the time of the charges, previously noted Plasencia's desire to make a profit from Perry. Estrada said Plasencia wrote in a September 2023 text message: 'I wonder how much this moron will pay?' In other texts, Plasencia wrote he wanted to be Perry's sole supplier, he said.
CNN
13 hours ago
- CNN
One of the doctors accused of providing ketamine to Matthew Perry agrees to plead guilty, filing shows
One of the doctors accused of providing ketamine to actor Matthew Perry, who died from an overdose in October 2023, has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, a plea agreement filed Monday shows. Dr. Salvador Plasencia, of Santa Monica, California, is one of five people who were charged in relation to Perry's death. Prosecutors say an underground network of drug sellers and suppliers were responsible for distributing the ketamine that killed Perry, who starred in the TV show 'Friends.' Plasencia would be the fourth defendant to plead guilty in the case. His trial, where he would be tried alongside alleged drug dealer Jasveen Sangha, was expected to take place in August of this year. He faces a maximum sentence of 40 years and is expected to enter his plea in the coming weeks, the US Attorney's office for the Central District of California said. CNN has reached out to Plasencia's attorneys for comment. This story is developing and will be updated.
