A doctor charged with giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the month leading up to the "Friends" star's overdose death will plead guilty, according to an agreement filed in court Monday.Dr.Salvador Plasencia agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, according to the signed document filed in federal court in Los Angeles.
In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to drop three additional counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of falsifying records.Federal prosecutors said in a statement that the plea carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.They said Plasencia is expected to formally plead guilty in the coming weeks.According to a co-defendant, Plasencia in a text message called the actor a "moron" who could be exploited for money. The physician had been one of the primary targets of the prosecution, along with a woman accused of being a ketamine dealer.
Three other defendants, including another doctor, agreed to plead guilty last year in exchange for their cooperation.Plasencia and the woman, Jasveen Sangha, had been scheduled to face trial in August.
An email to his attorney seeking comment was not immediately answered.Perry, 54, was found unresponsive and floating face-down in his jacuzzi on Oct.28, 2023, according to an autopsy report from the Los Angeles County medical examiner.
His cause of death was "the acute effects of ketamine," with contributing factors including drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid addiction. Ketamine is a Schedule III hallucinogen.
It is a controlled substance with legitimate uses, but it is also used illegally, U.S.Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada told reporters during a news conference last year, CBS News Los Angeles reported."It can cause serious health effects, serious health problems including loss of consciousness, including spikes in blood pressure and respiratory issues t...