Dr. Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty on Wednesday to four federal counts of distributing ketamine in connection with the 2023 accidental overdose death of actor Matthew Perry. The plea was formally entered in federal court, with Plasencia remaining out on bond until his sentencing on December 3.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, Plasencia faces up to 40 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $2 million. In a statement, his attorneys said Plasencia will voluntarily surrender his medical license, acknowledging his “failure to protect Mr. Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction.” The statement added that Plasencia is “profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made.”
Perry, the star of the series “Friends,” was found deceased at his Pacific Palisades home on October 28, 2023. The Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death an accident caused by the acute effects of ketamine. While Perry was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety, an investigation revealed he was also illegally obtaining the drug.
Plasencia is one of several individuals charged in the case. Court documents show that Perry’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, introduced the actor to Plasencia weeks before his death. Iwamasa, who has also pleaded guilty, told authorities that Plasencia sold Perry both liquid ketamine and ketamine lozenges and instructed him on how to inject the actor, despite Iwamasa having no medical training.
According to Iwamasa’s plea agreement, Perry paid Plasencia up to $55,000 for the drug in the month prior to his death. Federal prosecutors alleged that Plasencia knew Perry was “too far gone and spiraling in his addiction” but continued to sell him the drugs. Text messages exchanged with another co-defendant, former doctor Mark Chavez, showed the men discussing how much money they could get from the actor. “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia wrote. “Lets find out.”
Source link
