A doctor pleaded guilty on Wednesday to distribute ketamine to Matthew Perry before Matthew Perry's death, becoming the fourth person involved in the 2023 overdose death of the “Friend” actor.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of ketamine allocation at a hearing in Los Angeles Wednesday morning, the Justice Department said.
“Dr. Plasensia is deeply honored for the treatment decision he made when he provided ketamine to Matthew Perry,” his attorney Karen Goldstein said in a statement. “He is fully responsible for the guilty plea of drug distribution through his plea.”
Plasencia intends to voluntarily surrender his medical license, “to admit that he has failed to protect Mr. Perry, a patient who is particularly vulnerable due to his addiction,” Goldstein said. Prosecutors said he had said through a lawyer that he would surrender his medical license within the next 30 to 45 days.
“Although Dr. Plasensia did not treat Mr. Perry at the time of his death, he hopes his case will warn other medical professionals and lead to strict oversight and clear protocols for the rapidly growing family ketamine industry to prevent future dangerous behaviors like this,” Goldstein said.
Plasencia is one of five people after Perry died of a 54-year-old ketamine overdose on October 28, 2023. The autopsy report showed that he died of the acute effects of ketamine.
The operator of the emergency care clinic in Plasencia had been tried in August in August before the plea agreement was reached. He will continue to assure until the Dec. 3 sentencing hearing, where prosecutors say he will be sentenced to up to 10 years in federal prison for each of his crimes.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia went to federal court where he is expected to plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine to actor Matthew Perry before his death, July 23, 2025 in Los Angeles.
David Swanson/Reuters
His conviction was admitted in the case, Mark Chavez, the second doctor charged with the charge, who admitted to the distribution of ketamine in October 2024. He plans to be sentenced in September.
Under Plasencia's plea agreement, he distributed 20 bottles of ketamine, ketamine lemon oil and syringes to Perry, and between September 30, 2023 and October 12, 2023, the actor's live assistant Kenneth Iwamasa distributed Kenneth Iwamasa.
Plasencia “accepted that his conduct was below the appropriate health care standards and that the transfer of ketamine vials to defendant Ivamasa and victims of Congress was not for legal medical purposes.”
The U.S. Department of Justice said Iwamasa admitted to the administration of ketamine in court documents the day Perry died. He is scheduled to be sentenced in November.
Under his plea agreement, Perry asked Iwamasa to help him buy ketamine in September 2023 and provide his assistant with “money, or promise to repay him and instruct him to find the source of the source to obtain drugs.”
According to Plasencia's plea agreement, a Plasencia patient introduced Perry to him on September 30, 2023, and the unidentified patient called the actor a “high-profile person” who was looking for ketamine, a “high-profile person” willing to treat ketamine. ”
Under the agreement, Plasencia contacted Chavez, who had previously run a ketamine clinic, to discuss Perry's requirements for ketamine and purchased vials of liquid ketamine, ketamine and other items from him.
Plasencia, discussing Perry's charges, said in a text message to Chavez: “I want to know how much this idiot will pay” and “Let us [sic] Find out,” the Justice Department said.
Plasencia has applied ketamine several times to the actor's home and managed the vials and lozenges with iWamasa according to the plea agreement. According to the agreement, in one instance, he gained $12,000 in access.
Under the plea agreement, when Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry in a parking lot near Long Beach, it happened outside the house. Chavez's plea agreement said that after learning about the incident, Chavez “condemned “another doctor” to “dose people” in the car, as well as in public places where children were present,” Chavez's plea agreement said.
In an archived photo on March 15, 2017, actor Matthew Perry attended the premiere of Beverly Hills, California.
Jason Laveris/Filmmagic via Getty Images, File
Plasencia returned to Perry’s home to manage ketamine on October 12, 2023, under Plasencia’s plea agreement, during which time the actor’s blood pressure screamed, causing him to “freeze.”
“Descendants left other vials of ketamine with defendant Iwamasa knowing that defendant Iwamasa would inject ketamine into the victims' MP,” the agreement said.
Under the plea agreement, Plasencia received iwamasa on October 27, 2023 after receiving 10 bottles of ketamine through a licensed pharmaceutical company under the plea agreement, under the plea agreement: “I know you mentioned you want a break. Have a break. I've been in stock and I've been unsure when you will recover, but when I have my plan again. Plan.”
Perry died the next day after ketamine overdose under the plea agreement.
Prosecutors said Eric Fleming, another defendant in the case, admitted in court documents that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry. He pleaded guilty in August 2024, involving one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one ketamine distribution, resulting in death. The Justice Department said he admitted in court documents that he distributed 50 bottles of ketamine, which obtained another defendant from the case – Jasveen Sangha – who killed Perry's ketamine. Fleming is scheduled to be sentenced in November.
Prosecutors said Sangha, who was allegedly known as the “Ketamine Queen” and was accused of selling 50 bottles of ketamine to Perry in two weeks, working with Fleming and Iwamasa to distribute the drugs to Perry. She is accused of selling a batch of ketamines that killed Perry.
Sangha pleaded not guilty and was scheduled to be tried in August.