Salvador Plasencia, the doctor of late actor Matthew Perry, has entered a guilty plea to four counts of distributing ketamine, as reported by the New York Times on June 16. He now faces a potential sentence of 40 years behind bars along with a $2 million fine.
Perry, who was best known for his role on the sitcom *Friends*, passed away on October 28, 2023, due to the acute effects of ketamine. In the weeks preceding his death, Plasencia unlawfully administered ketamine to Perry on multiple occasions, traveling to Perry’s residence as well as a parking lot to provide the drug, according to the Times.
As part of the plea agreement, it was revealed that Plasencia supplied Perry with 20 vials of ketamine, along with ketamine lozenges and syringes, from September 30 to October 12, 2023, per ABC News. Dr. Plasencia operated an urgent care facility in Calabasas, California, and was originally slated to face trial in August 2025 for these charges.
The plea documents indicate that Plasencia was introduced to Perry by a mutual contact, who informed him that Perry was a ‘high-profile person’ actively seeking ketamine and willing to pay substantial cash sums for treatment. Following this introduction, Plasencia sought out Dr. Mark Chavez, a former ketamine clinic operator, to procure the drug intended for Perry.
Plasencia’s guilty plea marks him as the fourth individual to admit guilt related to crimes associated with Perry’s death. The earlier guilty pleas came from Chavez; Perry’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who facilitated the acquisition of ketamine for Perry; and Erik Fleming, Perry’s friend and dealer. Furthermore, Jasveen Sangha, identified as the ‘Ketamine Queen,’ is charged in connection with providing the ketamine that led to Perry’s death but has pleaded not guilty, as reported by the BBC. Fleming has acknowledged distributing the deadly ketamine, stating he obtained it from Sangha. Sangha’s trial is set for August, and she faces allegations of selling over 50 vials to Perry through Fleming and Iwamasa within a two-week timeframe. Sentencing for Chavez is scheduled for September, while both Iwamasa and Fleming are set for November.