A DOCTOR has pleaded guilty to giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the month leading up to the Friends star’s horrific overdose death.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia admitted to contributing to the tragic death of the 54-year-old actor whom he branded a “moron” in sick texts.
The California doctor had been charged in the 2023 overdose death of the Friends star.
He pleaded guilty on Wednesday to four counts of illegal distribution of the prescription anesthetic ketamine.
The 43-year-old physician faces up to 40 years in prison when sentenced, prosecutors warned.
He was one of five people charged in connection with Perry’s tragic death.
The beloved actor was found unresponsive in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home, having suffered acute effects of ketamine and drowning, his autopsy revealed.
Plasencia was set to go to trial in August, but he struck a plea deal last month, according to the signed document filed in federal court in Los Angeles.
According to prosecutors and co-defendants, Plasencia illegally supplied Perry with a large amount of ketamine starting about a month before his death on October 28, 2023.
According to co-defendant Dr. Mark Chavez, who has also pleaded guilty to taking part in the drug exchange, Plasencia in a text message mocked the actor as a “moron” who could be exploited for money.
In an exchange between Plasencia and Chavez, they discussed how much they were going to charge Perry, with Plasencia writing, “I wonder how much this moron will pay” and “Lets [sic] find out.”
In his hearing on Wednesday, Plasencia spoke only to answer Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett’s questions.
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When asked if his lawyers had considered all the possibilities of pleas and sentencing in the case, Plasencia replied, “They’ve considered everything.”
He had previously pleaded not guilty.
But, in exchange for the guilty pleas, prosecutors have agreed to drop three additional counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of falsifying records.
Prosecutors outlined the charges in court before the plea, and said, as Plasencia’s lawyers have emphasized, that he had not sold Perry the dose that killed the actor.
Suspects in Matthew Perry’s death
Five suspects were arrested in August 2024 and charged in connection with Friends actor Matthew Perry’s fatal drug overdose in October 2023.
Suspects who have pleaded guilty:
- Erik Fleming, 54, pleaded guilty on August 9, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 12, 2025.
- Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, pleaded guilty on August 7, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 19, 2025.
- Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 17, 2025.
- Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 42, pleaded guilty to four counts of illegal distribution of the prescription anesthetic ketamine.
Suspects who have pleaded not guilty:
- Jasveen Sangha, “the Ketamine Queen,” 41, pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of distribution of ketamine.
- Sangha is scheduled to be tried on August 19.
The prosecutors told the court, and Plasencia admitted, that Perry froze up and his blood pressure spiked when the doctor gave him one injection.
However, Plasencia still left more ketamine for Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa to inject.
In a statement, Plasencia’s lawyer stressed that his client wasn’t treating the actor when he died, but said the doctor hopes the case will lead to stricter oversight on ketamine treatments.
Plasencia, Iwamasa, Chavez, and one of Perry’s friends have all pleaded guilty to charges stemming from his death.
Jasveen Sangha, an accused drug dealer known as the “Ketamine Queen,” is the only defendant who is still facing trial.
Perry’s tragic death came after a lifetime of struggling with addiction. He documented his dark journey in his 2022 book Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
