Doctor pleads guilty to giving Matthew Perry ketamine leading up to his death
A doctor has admitted to giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the weeks leading up to the Friends actor's death from an overdose.
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Dr Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine during a heading in Los Angeles on Wednesday and faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.
He also intends to voluntarily surrendered his medical license within the next 45 days after "acknowledging his failure to protect Mr Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction", his lawyer Karen Goldstein said.
In a statement Ms Goldstein said: "Dr Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry.
"He is fully accepting responsibility by pleading guilty to drug distribution."
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She continued to CNN: "While Dr Plasencia was not treating Mr Perry at the time of his death, he hopes his case serves as a warning to other medical professionals and leads to stricter oversight and clear protocols for the rapidly growing at-home ketamine industry in order to prevent future tragedies like this one."
After being released on bond following his arrest in August, Plasencia will continue to remain free until his sentencing on December 3.
Plasencia is the fourth of the five people charged in connection with Perry’s death to plead guilty.
Last year, Mark Chavez, another doctor, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry as part of a plea agreement. He is scheduled to be sentenced in September.
Perry’s personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa and his acquaintance Erik Fleming also agreed to plead guilty.
Jasveen Sangha remains the sole defendant yet to reach a deal with the US Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors allege she operated as a drug dealer known as the “Ketamine Queen” and supplied Perry with the fatal dose.
Sangha, who has pleaded not guilty, is set to stand trial next month.
Perry died on October 28 2023, aged 54.