According to Deadline, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, one of the doctors who allegedly supplied ketamine to Mathew Perry (The Whole Nine Yards, Friends) before his death, will soon be pleading guilty to multiple accounts of distribution of the dissociative anesthetic.
Per mxdwn, Perry died from an overdose in late October of 2023. He was open about his struggles with drug use and often spoke out to bring awareness to mental health and drug abuse.
Deadline reports that Plasencia has reached a plea deal with the Department of Justice. He faces four charges of distribution of ketamine, which hold a maximum sentence of 40 years. There is also an option of up to $1 million in fines. If the plea deal is reached, Plasencia will skip the trial that was set for August and will face sentencing.
Per mxdwn, Plasencia was initially arrested with Jasveen Sangha, aka “The Ketamine Queen.” It was alleged by the U.S. attorney at the time that the group took advantage of Perry’s addiction to benefit themselves financially. Allegedly, Sangha maintained a drug stash house in Hollywood where officers recovered thousands of dollars’ worth of illicit drugs.
Deadline reveals that Plasencia, along with his friend, Dr. Mark Chavez, saw dollar signs when they stumbled upon Perry’s addiction. Plascencia allegedly messaging Chavez at one point, proclaiming, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.”
Deadline confirms that the LA County Medical Examiner’s Office claimed that Perry died from the “acute effects of ketamine.” The autopsy also referenced drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, which is a drug used to treat opioid use disorder, as contributing to his death.
According to Deadline, the U.S. Attorney’s office confirmed the plea agreement to the public on Monday. Included in the agreement is that they recommend a two-level reduction in the sentencing, which may knock a few years off. They went on to make it very clear that the defendant has not as of yet pleaded guilty, but expect he will in the next few weeks.
It was important to Perry to help others who were dealing with the same struggles as him. In a post by @sagaftra on X, they provided a statement by Perry where he highlights how he created a self-titled sober living facility for men in Malibu. He went on to claim that he hopes that his legacy of helping others will shine more than his contribution on screen after he is gone. His dream may have come true, with all of the attention his overdose has drawn, and the criminal network that has allegedly been implicated in his death, his legacy could drum up exactly that.