Dr. Salvador Plasencia became the fourth of five people charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s overdose death to plead guilty, admitting in court Wednesday that he illegally supplied the actor with ketamine in the weeks leading up to his fatal overdose.
Plasencia, 43, appeared in a Los Angeles federal courtroom alongside his attorney and pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine. He had initially pleaded not guilty but agreed last month to the plea deal, which allowed prosecutors to drop three additional distribution charges and two counts of falsifying records.
Federal prosecutors noted that although Plasencia did not provide the lethal dose that killed Perry, he knowingly supplied the actor with a significant amount of the drug beginning about a month before his death on October 28, 2023. During one visit, Perry reportedly experienced a spike in blood pressure and froze after an injection — yet Plasencia still left more ketamine for Perry’s assistant to administer.
In court filings, Perry was identified only as “Victim MP.” Plasencia admitted to supplying the actor with 20 vials of ketamine, lozenges, and syringes, some of which were provided through another physician, Dr. Mark Chavez. In a text message cited in Chavez’s own plea agreement, Plasencia referred to Perry as a “moron” who could be exploited financially. “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” he texted Chavez after arranging a $4,500 sale.
According to prosecutors, Plasencia hoped to make Perry a regular customer, asking Chavez if he could continue supplying the drug to become Perry’s “go-to.”
Although the charges carry a maximum sentence of 40 years, Plasencia may receive a lighter penalty at his sentencing hearing on December 3. He has been out on bond since his arrest last August and remains free until then. He declined to comment as he left court.
Matthew Perry, best known for playing Chandler Bing on the hit series Friends, had long struggled with addiction. In his final months, he had been using ketamine legally through a doctor as an off-label treatment for depression, but reportedly began seeking more than what was prescribed.
Three other individuals — Perry’s assistant, a friend, and another doctor — previously pleaded guilty and are cooperating with federal prosecutors. The last remaining defendant, Jasveen Sangha, allegedly sold Perry the fatal dose and is set to stand trial next month. Dubbed the “Ketamine Queen” by prosecutors, Sangha has pleaded not guilty.
Perry was 54 when he was found unresponsive by his assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled that ketamine was the primary cause of death.
