The foremost physician charged in reference to the drug overdose of American-Canadian actor and “Friends” star Matthew Perry is predicted to enter a responsible plea within the coming weeks, the U.S. Justice Department mentioned Monday.
Salvador Plasencia “has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison,” the division mentioned in an announcement.
The second physician within the case, Mark Chavez, pleaded responsible final October to conspiring to distribute ketamine within the weeks earlier than the actor was discovered lifeless within the sizzling tub of his Los Angeles house in 2023.
Perry’s prolonged struggles with substance dependancy had been well-documented, however his dying at age 54 despatched shockwaves by means of the worldwide legions of “Friends” followers.
A felony investigation was launched quickly after an post-mortem found the actor had excessive ranges of ketamine — an anesthetic — in his system.
Plasencia allegedly purchased ketamine off Chavez and bought it to the determined star at vastly inflated costs.
Jasveen Sangha, the alleged “Ketamine Queen” who provided medication to high-end purchasers and celebrities, is charged with promoting Perry the dose that killed him.
She has pleaded not responsible.
Comedic tv collection “Friends,” which adopted the lives of six New Yorkers navigating maturity, courting and careers, drew an enormous international following and made megastars of beforehand unknown actors.
Perry’s function because the sarcastic man-child Chandler introduced him fabulous wealth, however hid a darkish battle with dependancy to painkillers and alcohol.
In 2018, he suffered a drug-related burst colon and underwent a number of surgical procedures.
In his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” Perry described going by means of detox dozens of occasions.
“I have mostly been sober since 2001,” he wrote, “save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps.”
© 2025 AFP