A doctor charged with giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the month leading up to the Friends star's overdose death has agreed to plead guilty.
Dr Salvador Plasencia agreed to change his plea to guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
They said the plea carried a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, and Dr Plasencia was expected to enter the plea in the coming weeks.
Dr Plasencia is part of a group of five people, including another doctor and an alleged drug dealer, who were charged last year over supplying the actor with the drug.
Perry was found dead in his home in October 2023 and a medical examiner ruled that ketamine was the primary cause of death.
He had become addicted to intravenous ketamine while being treated for anxiety and depression at a local clinic.
Each defendant, who are all currently awaiting trial or sentencing, had played a "key role" in his death, prosecutors allege.
Here's what you need to know about the case and Dr Plascencia's alleged role in the star's death.
Who is Dr Salvador Plasencia?
Dr Salvador Plascenica is a 42-year-old doctor in the Santa Monica area of California.
He was initially charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation.
Dr Plasencia and a woman accused of being a ketamine dealer had been the primary targets of the prosecution, after three other defendants, including another doctor, agreed to plead guilty in exchange for their cooperation.
Dr Plasencia is accused of providing the bulk of the ketamine to Perry in his final weeks.
He pleaded not guilty during his first court appearance and was released after posting a $US100,000 ($154,000) bond.
Dr Plasencia had been scheduled to go to trial in August.
In the new plea agreement, Dr Plasencia admits to injecting Perry with ketamine at the actor's home and in a Santa Monica car park in the weeks before his death, in exchange for thousands of dollars, and that it was "not for legitimate medical purposes".
Court documents reveal the actor began seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him.
About a month before the actor's death, he found Dr Plasencia, who in turn allegedly asked the other doctor, Mark Chavez, to obtain the drug for him, according to court filings in the Chavez case.
"I wonder how much this moron will pay," Dr Plasencia texted Chavez, according to court filings from prosecutors.
The two met up the same day in Costa Mesa, halfway between Santa Monica, California, where Dr Plasencia practised and San Diego, where Chavez practised, and exchanged at least four vials of ketamine, the filings said.
After selling the drugs to Perry for $US4,500, Dr Plasencia allegedly asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them so they could become Perry's "go-to," prosecutors said.
Referred to as "Dr P", Dr Plascencia used encrypted messaging applications and coded language to discuss drug deals, referring to bottles of ketamine as "Dr Pepper", "cans" and "bots".
Prior to his guilty plea, his attorney told the court Dr Plascencia "was operating with what he thought were the best of medical intentions".
Plasencia faces up to 40 years in prison.
Who else is involved?
Those arrested were:
- Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, Perry's live-in personal assistant. He is accused of sourcing ketamine for Perry and injecting him with it multiple times.
- Mark Chavez, 54, a San Diego doctor who had operated a ketamine clinic in the past.
- Salvador Plasencia, 42, a physician known as "Dr P", who allegedly worked with Chavez to sell ketamine to Perry through his live-in assistant.
- Jasveen Sangha, 41, dubbed the "Ketamine Queen" in court documents. She is accused of dealing drugs from a North Hollywood property known as the "Sangha Stash House".
- Eric Fleming, 54, who authorities describe as a "broker" and "street dealer" for Sangha. He admitted in court documents to providing the batch of ketamine that killed Perry.
Fleming, Chavez and Iwamasa have all entered guilty pleas.
None have yet been sentenced.
The 'Sangha stash house'
Javseen Sangha is scheduled to go to trial in August and is accused of being the person who supplied the fatal dose to Perry.
She has pleaded not guilty — making her the only one of the five people charged in Perry's death who has not entered a plea agreement.
Prosecutors say she became known as the "Ketamine Queen" for allegedly selling drugs out of a North Hollywood property known as the "Sangha Stash House" since at least 2019.
US Attorney Martin Estrada said a police search of the home uncovered a "drug-selling emporium".
At the property, federal agents and detectives found about 79 vials of ketamine, approximately 1.4 kilograms of pills containing methamphetamine, cocaine and prescription drugs that appeared to be fraudulently obtained.
Ms Sangha is in prison awaiting trial and could face life imprisonment.
ABC/AP
