Federal prosecutors announced that Dr. Salvador Plasencia of Santa Monica, California, is set to plead guilty to four charges of illegally distributing ketamine. If convicted, he could face up to 40 years in prison and a fine of US$2 million (S$2.56 million). Actor Matthew Perry, best known for playing Chandler Bing on Friends, was discovered dead at age 54 in his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023. The autopsy report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner stated that Perry died from the “acute effects” of ketamine, followed by drowning.

Dr. Plasencia, 43, submitted his plea agreement on Monday (June 16) and will be the fourth individual to plead guilty in relation to Perry’s death. His trial had been scheduled for August, but authorities now expect him to formally enter his plea in the coming weeks. As outlined in the agreement, Plasencia claims he collaborated with Dr. Mark Chavez — who admitted guilt in October to a conspiracy charge involving ketamine distribution — and provided Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, with "twenty 5ml vials of ketamine, a partial package of lozenges, and syringes" between September 30 and October 12, 2023.

Chavez had previously stated he sold ketamine to Plasencia off the books for Perry’s personal use. Iwamasa pleaded guilty on August 7 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death. Chavez is due to be sentenced in September, and Iwamasa in November. In August, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirmed to E! News that both Plasencia and Chavez had relinquished their authority to prescribe or recommend medical treatments.

Before charges were officially filed, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada condemned the doctors' actions, saying: “These individuals prioritized profit over Matthew Perry’s health. His path to tragedy began with unethical physicians who exploited their roles of trust and ended with drug dealers supplying ketamine in unmarked containers.”