DR. SALVADOR PLASENCIA PLEADED GUILTY TO FOUR COUNTS OF ILLEGALLY SUPPLYING KETAMINE TO MATTHEW PERRY IN THE LEAD-UP TO THE ACTOR'S 2023 DEATH. (PHOTO).

 Dr. Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of illegally supplying ketamine to Matthew Perry in the lead-up to the actor's 2023 death. 

Known as “Dr. P.,” Plasencia admitted administering the drug himself and providing kits for Perry’s assistant all while referring to Perry dismissively as a “moron.” Under a plea deal, multiple charges were dropped and he’ll give up his license.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 3. This case highlights broader concerns about off-label drug use and the lack of oversight in at-home ketamine programs.

ACCORDING TO ANOTHER SOURCE:

Doctor who gave Matthew Perry ketamine and called him a ‘moron’ expected to plead guilty

A doctor accused of supplying Matthew Perry with ketamine in the weeks before the actor’s fatal overdose is expected to plead guilty on Wednesday, becoming the fourth of five individuals charged in the case to do so. Dr. Salvador Plasencia had originally pleaded not guilty but agreed last month to plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine, according to a plea agreement filed in federal court in Los Angeles. In exchange, federal prosecutors will drop three additional distribution charges and two counts of falsifying medical records.

Plasencia’s attorneys maintain that he was not Perry’s treating physician at the time of the actor’s death and did not provide the ketamine that led to Perry’s fatal overdose on October 28, 2023. While the charges carry a potential maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, it remains unclear how much time Plasencia will serve. He has been out on bond since his arrest last August and will be sentenced at a later date. Prosecutors say Plasencia began supplying Perry with ketamine about a month before his death, ultimately selling him 20 vials, lozenges, and syringes for $4,500. He allegedly worked with another doctor, Mark Chavez, to obtain and distribute the drug, even referring to Perry in a text as a “moron” they could financially exploit.

Matthew Perry’s assistant, a friend, and another doctor had all previously agreed to plead guilty and are cooperating with authorities. None have yet been sentenced. Perry was found dead by his assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, at his Los Angeles home. The medical examiner concluded that ketamine toxicity was the primary cause of death. Perry, who had long struggled with addiction, had been receiving legal off-label ketamine treatments for depression prior to seeking additional, unauthorized doses.

The only remaining defendant without a plea agreement is Jasveen Sangha, a woman prosecutors describe as a drug dealer known as the “Ketamine Queen.” She is accused of selling Perry the lethal dose and is set to go to trial next month. Sangha has pleaded not guilty.