LOS ANGELES — A Southern California doctor accused of illegally providing ketamine to actor
Matthew Perry in the weeks leading up to his death has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges, according to court documents filed Monday.
The doctor,
Salvador Plasencia, 43, operator of an urgent care clinic in
Calabasas, admitted to having provided the actor with multiple doses of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic with psychedelic properties, without valid medical justification. The supply occurred between September and October 2023, both at Perry’s residence and in a nearby parking lot, according to the federal indictment.
Plasencia faces
up to 40 years in prison and
a $2 million fine for
four counts of illegal distribution of ketamine. With this agreement, he becomes the fourth person to plead guilty in connection with the death of the actor from
Friends, who died on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54.
The
Los Angeles County coroner’s office determined that Perry died from the
“acute effects” of ketamine. The autopsy also cited drowning, a pre-existing coronary disease, and the presence of
buprenorphine, an opioid used in addiction treatments, as contributing factors.
According to federal prosecutors, Plasencia gave Perry
20 vials of ketamine, a partially used package of ketamine pills, and
syringes. Authorities indicate that there was no documented therapeutic context for these administrations.
The
ketamine, legally approved as an anesthetic and used in controlled environments to treat disorders such as severe depression and PTSD, has also become popular in unauthorized uses, including recreational consumption, which has raised concerns among public health experts.
