Friends actor Matthew Perry’s doctor pleads guilty to distributing ketamine

Matthew Perry's doctor gets convicted

Friends' actor Matthew Perry died in October 2023 due to ‘acute effects’ of ketamine and subsequent drowning. He was 54. Police have been investigating the case and have charged five suspects in relation to Perry’s death. However, there has been a recent update on the case.

According to CNN, Matthew Perry’s doctor, Salvador Plasencia, pleaded guilty to giving Matthew ketamine before his tragic death. During a hearing in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 23, Plasencia confessed that he had supplied four counts of illegal distribution of the drug, which is used as a prescription anaesthetic.

The US Attorney's Office of the Central District of California shared that the doctor will face a statutory maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison for each count at his sentencing hearing. Plasencia is also asked to surrender his medical license within the next 30-45 days.

For the unaware, the doctor admitted to distributing ketamine without a legitimate medical purpose to the 'Friends' star in his June plea deal. The prosecutors then dropped charges of falsifying medical records and additional counts of distribution in exchange for the deal.

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Salvador Plasencia is expected to face a maximum of 40 years behind bars. However, he might receive far less than that under federal sentencing guidelines. He will remain free on bond. Meanwhile, his attorneys have suggested that the doctor will surrender his medical licence in the next six weeks.

Meanwhile, another defendant, Jasveen Sangha, popularly known as Ketamine Queen, will face a trial next month. She is facing accusations of maintaining a stash house in North Hollywood for the illicit distribution of the drug.