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Dr. Salvador Plasencia, a provider of ketamine treatment for Matthew Perry, entered a guilty plea on Wednesday for four counts of distributing the dissociative drug.
Plasencia, aged 43, confessed to four counts of distributing ketamine as part of a plea deal he accepted last month. Appearing before Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in a Los Angeles federal court, Plasencia stated that his legal team thoroughly considered the plea and subsequent sentencing.
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped three additional charges against Plasencia. He was set to face trial next month alongside Jasveen Sangha, also known as “The Ketamine Queen.”
The “Friends” star passed away on October 28, 2023, due to the “acute effects of ketamine,” confirmed by authorities to Fox News Digital at the time of the incident. He was 54 years old.
“Dr. Plasencia deeply regrets the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry,” said his attorney, Karen Goldstein, in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
MATTHEW PERRY’S DOCTORS SHOWED ‘DISDAIN’ FOR HIS LIFE: ‘IT’S SICKENING’
“By pleading guilty to drug distribution, Dr. Plasencia is taking full responsibility for his actions. He plans to surrender his medical license voluntarily, recognizing his failure to protect Mr. Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction.”
Goldstein added, “Although Dr. Plasencia was not treating Mr. Perry at the time of his death, he hopes that his case will serve as a cautionary tale to other medical professionals and lead to stricter oversight and clear protocols in the rapidly growing at-home ketamine industry to prevent similar tragedies in the future.”
Rither Alabre, a partner at Blank Rome’s White Collar Defense & Investigations Group and a former prosecutor, informed Fox News Digital that Plasencia’s guilty plea is crucial for the case and also sends a strong message.
Matthew Perry passed away in October 2023 due to the “acute effects of ketamine.” (Gregg DeGuire)
Jasveen Sangha, the “Ketamine Queen,” allegedly rented a home in North Hollywood for the purpose of manufacturing, storing, and distributing controlled substances, according to the indictment. (United States Attorney’s Office)
Drug dealer Erik Fleming described the ketamine available to Perry and his assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, in texts shown in the indictment. (United States Attorney’s Office)
“The guilty plea by Dr. Plasencia is significant because he is the second doctor to plead guilty in connection to Mr. Perry’s death, and the plea sends a strong message to drug dealers, as well as doctors and members of the medical community, that prosecutors are paying close attention and will vigorously prosecute these types of cases,” Alabre said.
The sentencing will be determined at a later date, but his charges could lay the groundwork for potential civil suits, according to entertainment and employment attorney Camron Dowlatshahi of MSD Lawyers.
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“Having a criminal conviction makes it much easier to win a civil case due to the higher burden of proof in criminal cases compared to civil cases – beyond a reasonable doubt vs. preponderance of evidence,” Dowlatshahi told Fox News Digital.
“With a plea deal, the defendant usually receives a lesser prison sentence than the maximum, hence the agreement to plead guilty. In this case, the maximum sentence is 40 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a minimum fine of $2 million. I would anticipate much less in all aspects. The punishment should serve as a warning to all physicians handling and distributing substances to do so with extreme care and compassion towards everyone, including those who are wealthy and famous.”
Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, mentioned that Plasencia misused his position for financial gain, leading to a “blatant breach of trust.”
Matthew Perry discussed using ketamine therapy in his memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.” (Getty Images)
“The punishment aligns with the crime because Plasencia did not administer the fatal ketamine dose that led to Perry’s death,” Rahmani stated. “Perry’s family could pursue a civil lawsuit, but they may not require the financial compensation. Although Plasencia provided the equipment and training, it may not be sufficient to establish medical causation for a wrongful death lawsuit. Co-defendants Sangha, Fleming, and Iwamasa bear more direct responsibility for Perry’s death.”
Almost nine months after Perry’s passing, authorities revealed that five individuals were apprehended and charged with multiple offenses in connection to his death.
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U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada stated that the defendants distributed around “20 vials for approximately $50,000 in cash” to Perry for Kenneth (Kenny) Iwamasa, Perry’s live-in assistant, to distribute the drug to the actor. During another transaction, the dealers exploited Mr. Perry by selling roughly “50 vials of ketamine for approximately $11,000 in cash.”
Plasencia, a ketamine supplier, was introduced to Perry by his assistant in September 2023. Plasencia, who sourced ketamine from Dr. Mark Chavez, reportedly instructed the assistant on how to administer ketamine to Perry. Chavez, a former operator of a ketamine clinic, allegedly falsified a prescription in a former patient’s name to obtain the drug.
Chavez agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine as part of his plea agreement. The San Diego-based doctor confessed to selling ketamine to Plasencia, including ketamine acquired through illicit means from his former clinic.
Jasveen Sangha was arrested and charged with multiple offenses in Matthew Perry’s death. (Jojo Korsh/BFA.com/Shutterstock)
Iwamasa pleaded guilty on August 7 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, and has already submitted a plea agreement, according to Estrada.
Fleming pleaded guilty on August 8 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine leading to death. Fleming admitted in court documents that he supplied the ketamine that resulted in Perry’s death. He also reached a plea deal.
While Plasencia is accused of providing the majority of Perry’s ketamine in his final weeks, defendant Sangha, alleged to be a major ketamine dealer, is said to have supplied the fatal dose that claimed the actor’s life.
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In addition to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, Sangha faces charges of maintaining a drug-involved property, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of ketamine distribution. She is set to stand trial in August and has pleaded not guilty, making her the only one of the five individuals charged in Perry’s death who has not entered a plea agreement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
