Entertainment (Commonwealth Union) _ A Californian doctor has agreed to plead guilty in the face of allegations connecting him to the death of Actor Matthew Perry. Marking a significant development in a case that caused a considerable shakeup in Hollywood, one of the five individuals who have been charged – Dr Salvador Plasencia – will be admitting to four counts of distribution of ketamine. The act is tied to the overdose that caused the actor’s death in October 2023.
According to an announcement made by federal persecutors regarding Plascencia’s plea, discoveries have been made regarding the system through which Perry had acquired the ketamine that had been above his prescribed dosage. The discoveries reportedly included concerning details about the underground network of dealers and professionals that had supplied the substance.
Matthew Perry is renowned for his role as Chandler Bing in the American sitcom Friends where he starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc.
Perry has been quite open regarding his struggles with mental health and addiction and also revealed his depression diagnosis for which he was undergoing legal ketamine treatment. However, the actor, in the weeks leading up to his death, had reportedly sought additional doses of ketamine that he was not legitimately prescribed to take.
As per court documents, Plascencia, in addition to providing the actor with additional ketamine without valid medical requirements, had also personally administered drugs multiple times, instances which had occasionally taken place at public locations. The doctor was also found to have sold extra doses of the substance to keep on hand, providing Perry’s assistant with instructions on how to inject the drug as well.
20 vials of 5ml doses have been supplied to the actor outside the limits of medical practice by Plascencia between September 30 and October 12, 2023, along with syringes and other required equipment. These doses reportedly contributed to Perry’s overdose which, combined with other factors, caused his loss of consciousness in a hot tub, leading to his drowning.
It has also been revealed in texts between Plascencia and a fellow physician Dr. Mark Chavez, that he has speculated the amount of compensation that he could obtain from the actor for the ketamine doses. Chavez is also one of the defendants who have pled guilty to charges of conspiring to distribute ketamine and has agreed to cooperate with the prosecutors.
Moreover, the supplier suspected by prosecutors of providing Perry’s fatal dose, Jasveen Sangha having pled not guilty, is set to face trial in August alongside charges related to the distribution of methamphetamine.
The remaining defendants – Erik Fleming and Kenneth Iwamasa have also agreed to plead guilty to the charges relating to the illegal supply of ketamine. The prosecutors of the case allege the group had formed an underground supply chain that evades medical integrity, placing countless patients at risk.
Although Plascencia’s maximum sentence could possibly lead to up to 40 years in prison, his plea deal suggests that the sentence may be dropped to somewhere between 15 to 21 depending on the final decision of a judge. Plascencia’s legal team has not released any public statements on the matter so far.
Perry’s death caused a surge of grief from fans and colleagues alike, with Friends Co-stars Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox paying tribute to the beloved actor.
