Doctor to plead guilty in Matthew Perry drug overdose death, faces up to 40 years

The main doctor charged in connection with the drug overdose death of Friends actor Matthew Perry is expected to plead guilty in the coming weeks, the US Department of Justice confirmed on Monday.

Dr Salvador Plasencia has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine, a powerful anaesthetic with hallucinogenic effects, which carries a potential maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison, according to a statement released by the department.

The case stems from a months-long criminal investigation following the death of Perry, who was found unresponsive in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home in October 2023. The 54-year-old actor’s passing shocked fans around the world, reigniting conversations around substance abuse and celebrity.

An autopsy later revealed that Perry had high levels of ketamine in his system. Although he had been undergoing supervised ketamine therapy for depression, prosecutors allege that he became addicted to the substance in the weeks leading up to his death.

According to the plea deal released by the Justice Department, Plasencia purchased ketamine from a second doctor, Mark Chavez, and sold it to Perry at inflated prices. In one text message shared by prosecutors, Plasencia wrote: “I wonder how much this moron will pay.”

Plasencia also reportedly visited Perry’s residence to administer ketamine injections. The plea document states that he distributed 20 vials of the drug over a two-week period during the autumn of 2023.

Dr Chavez had already pleaded guilty in October last year to conspiring to distribute ketamine. Three others have also been charged in connection with Perry’s death, including his personal assistant and another man who both admitted to conspiracy charges in August 2023.

Among the five accused is Jasveen Sangha, dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,” who allegedly supplied high-end clients and celebrities with the drug. She has pleaded not guilty and is currently awaiting trial.

Perry, who was American-Canadian, was best known for his role as the witty and neurotic Chandler Bing in the long-running hit sitcom Friends. The show, which followed a group of six friends navigating life in New York, gained immense global popularity and catapulted its cast to stardom.

Despite his onscreen success, Perry faced a very public struggle with substance addiction. In his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, he chronicled decades of addiction and recovery, revealing that he had gone through detox “dozens of times.”

“I have mostly been sober since 2001,” he wrote. “Save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps.”