Salvador Plasencia, a licensed medical doctor from Santa Monica, California, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to four federal counts of distributing ketamine, a controlled substance.
The plea was made before U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett at a federal court in Los Angeles.
Plasencia, 43, was among five individuals charged in connection with the October 2023 death of actor Matthew Perry.
Prosecutors stated that Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine and subsequent drowning. He was discovered unresponsive in a hot tub at his home in the Pacific Palisades.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Perry’s death was caused by the toxic effects of ketamine.
Other contributing factors were reported, but ketamine was identified as the primary cause.
Federal investigators alleged that an underground network of medical professionals and suppliers was responsible for the illegal distribution of ketamine to Perry.
Plasencia was one of the medical professionals who provided the drug to the actor.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Plasencia now faces a maximum of 40 years in federal prison, up to three years of supervised release and a $2 million fine.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 3.
Plasencia will remain free on bond until his sentencing date.
As part of his plea agreement, he has indicated plans to surrender his medical license within six weeks, CNN reported.
His attorney, Debra White, confirmed this intention in a public statement.
“Dr. Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry,” White said in a statement issued to SF Gate.
“He is fully accepting responsibility by pleading guilty to drug distribution. Dr. Plasencia intends to voluntarily surrender his medical license, acknowledging his failure to protect Mr. Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction.”
Plasencia’s decision to plead guilty follows the entry of guilty pleas by four other defendants tied to the same investigation.
All five individuals were charged following an inquiry into Perry’s fatal overdose.
Plasencia’s trial was originally scheduled to begin in August.
By entering a guilty plea, he will avoid trial but will be subject to sentencing under federal guidelines.
The court has not yet disclosed the terms of the plea agreement or whether Plasencia is cooperating with federal investigators.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service participated in the investigation, according to The Post Millennial reporting.
Federal authorities have not released detailed information about how Perry obtained the drugs, but prosecutors said the ketamine that led to his death was distributed through an unlawful supply chain.
Federal documents state that Plasencia distributed ketamine on four separate occasions, though exact dates and circumstances were not included in the plea announcement.
Perry had a long and public history of addiction and recovery.
In his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry shared details of his struggles with opioids, alcohol and prescription medications.
He recounted multiple stints in rehab and a near-death experience caused by drug abuse.
The post Doctor Who Supplied Ketamine to Matthew Perry Pleads Guilty — Faces Up to 40 Years in Prison appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Jordyn M.
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