‘Moron for money’: Doctor who supplied Matthew Perry ketamine set to plead guilty

A doctor accused of supplying Matthew Perry with ketamine in the weeks before the actor’s overdose is expected to plead guilty on Wednesday.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia would become the fourth out of five individuals charged in connection with the Friends star’s death to enter a guilty plea.

Plasencia had been scheduled to go to trial in August, but court documents filed in Los Angeles show he agreed last month to plead guilty to four counts of ketamine distribution. In return, prosecutors will drop three additional distribution charges and two counts of falsifying records.

Though he initially pleaded not guilty, Plasencia’s legal team stressed that he was not treating Matthew Perry at the time of his death, and that the ketamine responsible for Perry’s fatal overdose did not come from him.

Plasencia still faces charges that could carry a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, though a lighter sentence is expected. He has remained free on bond since his arrest in August and will be sentenced at a later date.

The only remaining defendant yet to reach a plea deal is Jasveen Sangha, whom prosecutors allege is a drug dealer known as the “Ketamine Queen.” Authorities say she sold Perry the lethal dose. Her trial is set to begin next month. She has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors and cooperating co-defendants say Plasencia began illegally supplying Perry with ketamine about a month before his death on October 28, 2023. One co-defendant revealed that in a text message, Plasencia referred to the actor as a “moron” he could exploit for money.

Perry’s personal assistant, a friend, and another doctor all agreed to plead guilty last year, offering their cooperation as federal prosecutors built their case against the bigger players: Plasencia and Sangha. None of the three have been sentenced yet.

The actor was found dead by his assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. According to the medical examiner, ketamine—a drug commonly used as a surgical anesthetic—was the primary cause of death.

Perry, 54, had been receiving ketamine legally from his regular doctor as an off-label treatment for depression, a practice that has grown more common. However, he eventually began seeking more than his doctor was willing to provide.

In his plea agreement, Plasencia admitted that another patient introduced him to Perry and that, starting about a month before Perry’s death, he illegally supplied the actor with 20 vials of ketamine, totaling 100 mg, as well as lozenges and syringes.

He also admitted to recruiting Dr. Mark Chavez to help provide the drugs. In a text message cited in Chavez’s plea deal, Plasencia wrote: “I wonder how much this moron will pay.”

After charging Perry $4,500 for the drugs, Plasencia allegedly asked Chavez if he’d continue supplying them so the two could become the actor’s “go-to,” according to prosecutors.

Perry’s battle with addiction spanned decades, tracing back to his rise as Chandler Bing on NBC’s Friends. Alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer, he became one of the most recognizable faces of the 1990s, starring on the show from 1994 to 2004.

(With inputs from AP)