Latest news with #DebraWhite
CNA
6 days ago
- CNA
Doctor pleads guilty to selling Friends star Matthew Perry ketamine in the weeks before actor's death
A doctor who was a primary target in the sweeping investigation of actor Matthew Perry's overdose death pleaded guilty Wednesday (Jul 23) to supplying the Friends star with ketamine despite knowing he was a struggling addict. Dr Salvador Plasencia became the fourth of the five people charged in connection with Perry's death to plead guilty. He and a woman prosecutors say was a major ketamine dealer faced the most serious charges after Perry was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home on Oct 28, 2023. Plasencia stood next to his lawyer and said 'guilty' four times for four different counts before Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in federal court in Los Angeles. Plasencia, 43, 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. The charges can carry up to 40 years in prison. He is likely to be sentenced to much less, but there is no guarantee in his agreement. He spoke only to answer the judge's questions. When asked if his lawyers had considered all the possibilities of pleas and sentencing in the case, Plasencia replied, 'They've considered everything'. ONE OF MATTHER PERRY'S KETAMINE SUPPLIERS EXPRESSES REGRET 'Dr Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry,' the doctor's attorney, Debra White, said in an emailed statement after the hearing. 'He is fully accepting responsibility by pleading guilty to drug distribution. Dr Plasencia intends to voluntarily surrender his medical licence, acknowledging his failure to protect Mr Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction.' In exchange for the guilty pleas, prosecutors have agreed to drop three additional counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of falsifying records. Prosecutors outlined the charges in court before the plea, and said that he did not sell Perry the dose that killed the actor. They described, and Plasencia admitted, that Perry froze up and his blood pressure spiked when the doctor gave him one injection, but Plasencia still left more ketamine for Perry's assistant to inject. In court, Perry was referred to only as 'victim MP'. Plasencia acknowledged that he knew the actor was an addict when he charged him thousands of dollars and gave him ketamine, a drug primarily used as a surgical anaesthetic. Plasencia has been free on bond since shortly after his arrest in August, and will be allowed to remain free until his Dec 3 sentencing. Defence lawyer Karen Goldstein assured the judge that he is not a flight risk, saying he was born and raised in the area and is one of the primary caretakers for his son, who is about two years old. Plasencia has already turned over his licence to prescribe controlled substances. He has been allowed to practise medicine in the past year, but he must inform patients of the charges before treating them. Goldstein told the judge he'll now surrender his medical licence too. Plasencia left the courthouse with his lawyers without speaking to reporters gathered outside. CASE RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT AT-HOME KETAMINE USE "While Dr Plasencia was not treating Mr Perry at the time of his death," his lawyer's statement said, '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.' The only remaining defendant who has not reached an agreement with the US 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. According to a co-defendant, Plasencia in a text message called the actor a 'moron' who could be exploited for money. 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 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 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. for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC's megahit.
CBC
6 days ago
- CBC
Doctor who sold Friends actor Matthew Perry ketamine before death pleads guilty
Social Sharing A doctor pleaded guilty Wednesday to giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the month leading up to the Friends star's overdose death. Dr. Salvador Plasencia became the fourth of the five people charged in connection with Perry's death to plead guilty. He stood next to his lawyer and admitted guilt to four counts to Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in federal court in Los Angeles. Plasencia, 43, 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 spoke only to answer the judge's questions. When asked if his lawyers had considered all the possibilities of pleas and sentencing in the case, Plasencia replied, "They've considered everything." "Dr. Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry," the doctor's attorney, Debra White, said in an emailed statement after the hearing. "He is fully accepting responsibility by pleading guilty to drug distribution. Dr. Plasencia intends to voluntarily surrender his medical licence, acknowledging his failure to protect Mr. Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction." Maximum sentence of 40 years Plasencia 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. Prosecutors outlined the charges in court before the plea, and said Plasencia did not sell Perry the dose that killed the actor. They described, and Plasencia admitted, that Perry froze up and his blood pressure spiked when the doctor gave him one injection, but Plasencia still left more ketamine for Perry's assistant to inject. In court, Perry was referred to only as "victim MP." The charges can carry a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, and there is no guarantee Plasencia will get less, but he's likely to. He has been free on bond since shortly after his arrest in August, and will be allowed to remain free until his Dec. 3 sentencing. Matthew Perry died of 'acute effects' of ketamine 2 years ago A warning to other medical professionals Plasencia left the courthouse with his lawyers without speaking to reporters gathered outside. "While Dr. Plasencia was not treating Mr. Perry at the time of his death," his lawyer's statement said, "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." 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. Ketamine ruled as primary cause of death 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. WATCH | Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada launched by late actor's family: According to a co-defendant, Plasencia in a text message called the actor a "moron" who could be exploited for money. 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 struggled with addiction for years 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 totalling 100 milligram 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 US, 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 the character 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. WATCH | What Matthew Perry wants to be remembered for other than Friends: The late Matthew Perry on how he wanted to be remembered 7 months ago Matthew Perry sat on stage with Tom Power and shared how he wants to be remembered. 'The best thing about me, bar none, is if somebody comes up to me and says, 'I can't stop drinking. Can you help me?' I can say yes and follow up and do it,' he said. 'And I've said this for a long time: when I die, I don't want Friends to be the first thing that's mentioned — I want that to be the first thing that's mentioned. And I'm going to live the rest of my life proving that.'
CBS News
15-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
Veteran Chicago Police dispatcher is ready to hang up her headset after 40 years
CBS News Chicago often tells stories honoring our police officers and firefighters for saving lives, but rarely do we tell the stories of people who answer the call — the very first call. Debra White has been taking those first calls in Chicago for 40 years, and she is a hero every day in our community. When White first started working for the City of Chicago, the year was 1985. Ronald Reagan was just starting his second term as president, and Harold Washington was about halfway through his first term as Chicago mayor. If you tuned in to Channel 2 back then, you would have seen Bill Kurtis, Walter Jacobson, Don Craig, and the late Harry Porterfield on the anchor desk in the middle of a bustling newsroom, reporters breaking down the spectacle and gridlock of Council Wars at City Hall, and sports director and former Chicago Bear Johnny Morris talking about his old team as they inched closer to the Super Bowl. As for White, she was only 25 years old — and working at the old Chicago Police Headquarters at 1121 S. State St. as a police teletype operator. "It was the way to communicate various messages throughout the Police Department," White said. "It was what you currently call now your mobile, faxes, your emails. But we had to give information via teletype machine, ticker tapes." The teletypes were used to distribute such information as bulletins about suspects wanted in a crime. White became a call-taker for emergency police calls in 1990, and a dispatcher four years later. Forty years later, White is still answering the call — still as a police dispatcher with the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. She explained the experience of picking up the phone in that role. "When the phone rings, it's automatically you answer it. You're ready. You're waiting," she said. "You could be calm, and you stay calm if there's a regular call, and your adrenaline can go up if it's of somebody screaming. So you hear somebody screaming, but you remain calm mentally, but emotionally it goes up and down with the callers." White said remaining calm is key, whether the situation involves somebody screaming or something mundane. "it's stressful, but you just have to remain calm," said White. "You think about the consequence. You're in the motion now. You're in the minute now." Dispatchers like White provide a calming voice, and a lifeline in a time of need, for the people in Chicago and our police officers. "Every call is different. Every job is different," White said. "It may have the same heading, but it has a different outcome." Nicknamed "Digital Deb" by her coworkers, White also prides herself on being the call center photographer. "She's our historian," said fellow dispatcher Minka Giles. "She keeps up with everything and everybody." "She's probably got 100,000 pictures," said dispatcher William Sonntag. White captures the memories as she works alongside those she calls family. "She's just an overall amazing person, just overall. She does so much for everyone," said Giles. "Everybody's just blessed to know her." "Every time I come to work, Deb reminds me how much I'm blessed to have this job and to be with her," said sontag. "She always helps me focus on happy things in life." And now after 40 years, White is ready to hang up her headset. "I wouldn't have wished another course in my life. I love the course I took — just very rewarding," she said. "It's a very rewarding situation to be able to help the unsung heroes behind the phone." As far as what White plans to do next once she retires, she said she hopes to travel, and stay off the phone. And as the aforementioned Mr. Porterfield would have said, police dispatcher Debra White is someone you should know. Adam Harrington contributed to this report.
