The doctor who supplied actor Matthew Perry with unprescribed amounts of ketamine in the month leading up to his accidental overdose pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to four counts of distributing ketamine.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia had agreed to plead guilty earlier in July in exchange for three additional counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of falsifying records to be dropped.
The plea carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, according to federal prosecutors.
The “Friends” star was found unresponsive and floating face-down in his jacuzzi on Oct. 28, 2023. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined he died from the “acute effects of ketamine,” with contributing factors including drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, which is a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.
Plasencia had been one of the primary targets of the prosecution, along with Jasveen Sangha of North Hollywood, accused of being a ketamine dealer. Three other defendants, including another doctor, agreed to plead guilty last year in exchange for their cooperation.
“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves,” then-U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada said in mid-August.
Plasencia’s attorneys released a statement on Wednesday afternoon, stating that the doctor is “profoundly remorseful” and accepts full responsibility.
“While Dr. Plasencia was not treating Mr. Perry at the time of his death, he hopes his case serves as a warning to other medical professionals and leads to stricter oversight and clear protocols for the rapidly growing at-home ketamine industry in order to prevent future tragedies like this,” the statement read in part.
Perry had been using ketamine through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression, which has become increasingly common. He began seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him.
In his plea agreement, Plasencia admitted 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 also admitted to enlisting another doctor, Mark Chavez, to supply the drug for him, according to the court filings.
According to a co-defendant, Plasencia texted “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” referring to the 54-year-old actor buying the drugs.
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 had said.
Chavez pleaded guilty last year to a federal charge of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, which carries a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison.
Following Plasencia’s formal guilty plea in downtown Los Angeles, he remains free on bond and is expected to surrender his medical license within the next 30 to 45 days. His sentencing court date is set for Dec. 3.
