Matthew Perry’s doctor, Salvador Plasencia, entered a guilty plea Wednesday to four counts of ketamine distribution, and will face sentencing on Dec. 3.
As part of the deal, Plasencia, 43, will surrender his medical license within the next 30-45 days, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. He will remain free on bond pending his sentencing.
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Plasencia took a plea deal in June in which he admitted to distributing ketamine without a legitimate medical purpose to the “Friends” star, who died of an overdose in October 2023. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges of falsifying medical records and additional counts of distribution.
The lone remaining defendant in the case, Jasveen Sangha, nicknamed the “Ketamine Queen,” is scheduled to face a trial next month. She is alleged to have maintained a stash house in North Hollywood for the illicit distribution of the drug.
Plasencia was also set to go on trial at the same time, before his lawyers reached the plea agreement.
Plasencia faces a theoretical maximum of 40 years behind bars, but is likely to receive far less than that under federal sentencing guidelines.
According to the Associated Press, prosecutors detailed the circumstances underlying the charges before the plea, and acknowledged that Plasencia did not sell Perry the fatal dose.
Plasencia spoke only in response to questions from Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett.
Three other defendants — Erik Fleming, Kenneth Iwamasa and Mark Chavez — previously agreed to plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
Authorities previously alleged that Plasencia concocted a fake “treatment plan” for Perry after his death, in a vain attempt to cover his tracks. Plasencia was also quoted in a text message to another doctor gloating about his arrangement with Perry, saying “I wonder how much this moron will pay… Let’s find out.”
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