A California doctor accused of supplying ketamine to actor Matthew Perry shortly before his death has agreed to plead guilty to federal drug charges, according to a plea agreement filed Monday.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia, based in Santa Monica, is one of five individuals charged in relation to Perry’s October 2023 death.
Prosecutors allege the actor, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom “Friends,” was supplied the fatal drug through an underground network of sellers and distributors.
Perry, 54, died from the “acute effects” of ketamine, followed by drowning, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed in its autopsy report. His body was discovered floating face down in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home.
Plasencia has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $2 million or twice the gross gain or loss from the offenses, whichever is greater.
He is also subject to a mandatory $400 special assessment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
He is expected to formally enter his plea in the coming weeks. CNN has reached out to Plasencia’s legal team for comment.
Should the court accept the plea, Plasencia will become the fourth defendant to plead guilty in the case. His trial, previously set for August, would have seen him tried alongside alleged drug dealer Jasveen Sangha.
Plasencia was originally charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution, and two counts of falsifying documents related to the federal investigation.
According to the plea deal, Plasencia admitted to working with Dr. Mark Chavez, another defendant who has already pleaded guilty, and supplying Perry’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, with ketamine products.
These included “twenty 5ml vials of ketamine, less than a full package of ketamine lozenges, and syringes,” between September 30 and October 12, 2023.
Former U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada, who oversaw the case at the time, pointed to Plasencia’s profit-driven motives. He cited a text message the doctor sent in September 2023, which read: “I wonder how much this moron will pay?”
In other messages, Plasencia allegedly expressed a desire to become Perry’s exclusive supplier.
