Doctor who supplied Matthew Perry ketamine set to enter guilty plea
Dr. Salvador Plasencia would be the fourth of five people charged in connection with Perry's death to plead guilty.
Plasencia was to have gone on trial in August until the doctor agreed last month to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, according to the signed document filed in federal court in Los Angeles.
He had previously pleaded not guilty, but in exchange for the guilty pleas prosecutors have agreed to drop three additional counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of falsifying records.
Plasencia's attorneys emphasized in an email after he reached his agreement that he 'was not treating Matthew Perry at the time of his death and the ketamine that caused Mr. Perry's death was not provided by Dr. Plasencia.'
Story continues below advertisement
The remaining charges can carry a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, and there is no guarantee he'll get less, but he's likely to. Plasencia has been free on bond since shortly after his arrest in August. He will not be sentenced until a future hearing.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
The only remaining defendant who has not reached an agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office is Jasveen Sangha, who prosecutors allege is a drug dealer known as the 'Ketamine Queen' and sold Perry the lethal dose. Her trial is scheduled to begin next month. She has pleaded not guilty.
According to prosecutors and co-defendants who reached their own deals, Plasencia illegally supplied Perry with a large amount of ketamine starting about a month before his death on Oct. 28, 2023.
3:26
Matthew Perry death: Long-time assistant, 2 doctors among those arrested
According to a co-defendant, Plasencia in a text message called the actor a 'moron' who could be exploited for money.
Story continues below advertisement
Perry's personal assistant, his friend, and another doctor all agreed to plead guilty last year in exchange for their cooperation as the government sought to make their case against larger targets, Plasencia and Sangha. None have been sentenced yet.
Perry was found dead by the assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. The medical examiner ruled that ketamine, typically used as a surgical anesthetic, was the primary cause of death.
The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression, which has become increasingly common. Perry, 54, began seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him.
Plasencia admitted in his plea agreement that another patient connected him with Perry, and that starting about a month before Perry's death, he illegally supplied the actor with 20 vials of ketamine totaling 100 mg of the drug, along with ketamine lozenges and syringes.
He admitted to enlisting another doctor, Mark Chavez, to supply the drug for him, according to the court filings.
'I wonder how much this moron will pay,' Plasencia texted Chavez, according to Chavez's plea agreement.
After selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500, Plasencia allegedly asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them so they could become Perry's 'go-to,' prosecutors said.
Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on 'Friends,' when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing. He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC's megahit.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
Person seriously injured by falling tree at Vancouver Island campground
At least one person has been seriously injured after a tree fell and struck a woman and a child at a popular Vancouver Island campground. The incident happened on Thursday afternoon at the Comox Lake Park Campground, just outside of Cumberland. 'A tree fell on two people on the beach, one woman and one infant,' said Stephane Dionne, Deputy Cumberland Fire Chief. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'When we arrived on scene (bystanders) were doing CPR on the patient, the infant, and we worked, we assisted them until B.C. Ambulance arrived.' BC Emergency Health Services said it deployed three ambulances to the scene, and that one person was taken to hospital in critical condition. Cumberland Mayor Vickey Brown said the RCMP had taken over the scene and was asking people to stay away from the area. Story continues below advertisement RCMP investigators remain at the scene and say they will provide an update on Friday.
Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
Family of young Calgary couple, involved in horrific head-on crash, speaks out.
'It was sheer panic,' said Debbie Boswell, mother of Taylor Romoutar. The 33-year-old woman was driving her 35-year-old husband Jonathan Ramoutar to the airport in the early morning on July 21 — a routine they follow every Monday when Jonathon flies to northern Alberta, where he works in the province's oil industry. 'Taylor normally comes home after to sleep, but she never came home,' said Boswell. ' I ran upstairs and googled 'accidents in the northeast' — and I saw her what I thought was her car.' 'EMS, firefighters, police — they all said nobody is going to survive that, (but) they had someone looking over her that day,' said Boswell. View image in full screen 'They had someone looking over them that day,' said Debbie Boswell of the crash that nearly killed her 33-year-old daughter Taylor and 35-year-old son Jonathan. Photo provided to Global News According to police, the couple was hit head-on by a Ford F-150 pickup- truck, driven by a 25-year-old. Story continues below advertisement Investigators said he first struck and killed a pedestrian before his pickup plowed — head on — into the young couple's jeep. The force of the collision was so great, both vehicles ended up on their roof and rescue crews had to use the jaws of life to extract Taylor and Jonathon from their Jeep. 1:32 Pedestrian dead, 3 others injured after collision in northeast Calgary The couple was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries, where they still remain. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'She (Taylor) had 25 breaks in both of her arms and legs that had to be pinned or rodded or plated,' said Boswell. 'She's in a lot of pain.' View image in full screen The force of the head-on crash was so great that emergency crews had to use the jaws of life the extract the critically injured couple from their vehicle. Global News Taylor's sister Morgan, who lives in Fort St. John, B.C., rushed to Calgary to be by her side. Story continues below advertisement 'I just yelled out, 'Taylor',' said her sister. 'She just didn't look like herself. She was so swollen and had the tube in her mouth and black eye and blood.' 'It's terrifying — nobody should see a loved one go through that,' said Morgan Burdock. The family said Jonathon suffered a long list of internal injuries and has spent 10 days in the intensive care unit at Foothills Hospital — and one point they thought they might lose him. 'The doctor came to us and said it's not good, we can't guarantee tonight and it's minute-by-minute. There was 15 of us, all family and friends and we just all got into a big group hug and we all prayed and said how much we loved them,' said Taylor's sister. 'We just have had to keep doing that.' 'There's a lot to celebrate because we thankfully have our family members with us, but (they're) still not out of the woods,' she added. View image in full screen Family and friends of the injured couple – seen here on their wedding day – have set up a Go Fund Me account to aise money to help with what is expected to be a long road to recovery. Provided to Global News The family says the couple are both scientists who love to work out and to volunteer. Story continues below advertisement They have a large and loving group of friends who have also set up a GoFundMe campaign that has already reached $60,000. The couple, who were scheduled to have a walk through of their brand-new home in a couple of weeks, spent their wedding anniversary in the hospital — one floor separating them. 'It makes me emotional when they will finally get to see each other for the first time,' said Taylor's sister. 'They are just perfect, perfect together — everything I could have wanted for my little sister and more,' she said, wiping away tears. Police said charges are pending against the 25-year-old driver of the truck. View image in full screen Calgary Police say charges are pending against the driver of the pickup truck who was driving the wrong way when he collided head on with the couple's jeep. Michael King / Global News While the couple's family members have a lot of questions — and anger — for now, they are focused on their loved ones and said they can't stop thinking about the family of the woman who lost her life that day. Story continues below advertisement 'Our heart breaks for that family and what they had to endure,' said Boswell 'Justice needs to be served here for the poor pedestrian — and for Jonathan and Taylor.'
Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
‘They give us a huge bill': Vancouver Pride says city fees too onerous
On the eve of Vancouver's annual Pride Parade, organizers say they're being forced to shoulder an unfair portion of the costs to put on the event. The Vancouver Pride Society says the City of Vancouver requires it to cover tens of thousands of dollars in cleaning and policing costs. It contrasted that with the Celebration of Light fireworks display, which saw the city take care of those costs. 'The city, it does give us a grant, but it's like a discount basically. They give us a huge bill and say we're going to take a little bit off,' Pride Society secretary Morgane Oger told Global News. 'Last year the final bill from the city was a hundred and something thousand, this year it's looking like we're going to be paying $130,000 all said and done.' Story continues below advertisement 4:28 Family Services of Greater Vancouver supporting queer and trans youth According to the city, the Celebration of Light has a 'legacy' agreement that was passed by council in 2001, which sees the city cover the entirety of associated costs. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The city said Pride is eligible for up to $75,000 through its city's FestShare program. With the exception of the fireworks, that FestShare funding is the same for all other events in the city, it said. The Pride Parade is returning for 2025 with a shorter route than in previous years as it grapples with financial pressures, including the growing cost of public safety. The Aug. 3 procession will head from east to west this year, a reversal from previous events, starting at Pacific Boulevard near Griffiths Way. The parade will end at the intersection of Burrard and Pacific streets, a few blocks from the Davie Village Pride Festival, which will take over Davie Street between Burrard and Jervis streets.
