California doctor to plead guilty to supplying Matthew Perry with ketamine

A California doctor accused of granting Matthew Perry access to ketamine in the weeks before the actor’s overdose death has agreed to plead guilty, according to federal prosecutors.

Dr Salvador Plasencia will plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine, federal prosecutors said in a statement on Monday. The plea carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and the doctor is expected to make his plea in the coming weeks.

Perry -  best known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends - was found dead in his hot tub in Los Angeles in October 2023. He was 54 years old and although he had been open about his struggles with depression and addiction, his death came as a shock around the world.

According to text messages shared with prosecutors from Dr Mark Chavez—who already pleaded guilty in the case— Dr Plasencia apparently called Perry a “moron” and wondered how much he’d be willing to pay for 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 said.

According to documents from the plea agreement, Dr Plasencia injected Perry with ketamine at his home and in the parking lot of the Long Beach Aquarium. Dr Plasencia taught Perry's assistant - who is also a defendant - how to administer the drug and would sell extra vials for them to keep at home, according to the plea deal.

The doctor is among five individuals accused by prosecutors of being part of an underground network of drug dealers and medical professionals who allegedly provided ketamine to Perry. While the actor was legally prescribed the drug to manage his depression, he sought quantities beyond his prescription.

According to the plea agreement, between September 30 and October 12, 2023, Dr. Plasencia sold Perry and his assistant twenty 5ml vials of ketamine (at a concentration of 100mg/ml), along with a partial package of ketamine lozenges and syringes.