Latest news with #Plasencia
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Matthew Perry's Ketamine Death: Second Doctor Agrees to Plead Guilty
The 'lead' doctor charged in connection with Matthew Perry's 2023 ketamine overdose death has accepted a plea deal, prosecutors announced Monday. Dr. Salvador Plasencia has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, a spokesperson with the Central District of California said. The charges carry a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison. More from Rolling Stone 'Will Sean Combs Testify?' and Other Burning Questions We Still Have Judge Dismisses Sean Combs Juror Over Inconsistent Statements Sean Combs Trial: Possible Juror Dismissal and Mogul's 'Threatening' Voice Notes Plasencia, 43, is expected to appear in court in the coming weeks to formally enter his guilty plea. He was arrested last August alongside Jasveen Sangha, the woman described by prosecutors as the 'Ketamine Queen' of North Hollywood. When federal officials first unsealed their 18-count indictment last year, they identified Plasencia and Sangha as the 'lead defendants' in the case. They said three other defendants already had agreed to deals in exchange for their cooperation. The other three were identified as Perry's live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, Dr. Mark Chavez (another physician), and Erik Fleming, a local man who allegedly acted as a go-between for Sangha in ketamine sales to Perry. '[Plasencia] essentially acted as a street-corner drug dealer peddling a dangerous substance to somebody he knew was addicted,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian Yanniello said last year at Plasencia's arraignment in downtown Los Angeles. 'He commented to another patient that the victim was spiraling out of control, yet he still offered to sell [Perry] more ketamine.' In his plea deal agreement signed June 13, Plasencia admitted he once injected Perry with ketamine while the actor was in the backseat of a car parked outside the Long Beach Aquarium in Long Beach, California. He also admitted he visited Perry's house on Oct. 12, 2023, administered ketamine, and then watched as Perry's 'blood pressure spiked,' causing the actor to 'freeze up.' 'Not withstanding victim M.P.'s reaction, defendant left additional vials of ketamine with defendant Iwamasa, knowing that defendant Iwamasa would inject the ketamine into victim M.P.,' the plea agreement stated. Plasencia pleaded not guilty at his arraignment last year and was released on bond. His lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. Sangha, 42, was remanded into custody and is awaiting a trial set to begin in August. Prosecutors argued last August that she was a flight risk due to her British citizenship and because she allegedly returned to selling ketamine after both Perry's death and the death of another man in 2019 that purportedly was linked to ketamine she supplied. Perry, an actor best-known for playing Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom Friends, died on Oct. 28, 2023, at the age of 54 from the acute effects of ketamine, his autopsy determined. He was found face down in a hot tub at his home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. Officials said Perry 'became addicted' to intravenous ketamine while seeking treatment for depression and anxiety at a local clinic in fall 2023. They said Perry turned to the four suppliers charged in the case when the clinic refused to increase his dosage. According to prosecutors, Plasencia and Chavez distributed about 20 vials of liquid ketamine to Perry in exchange for $55,000 cash during the last few weeks of the actor's life. The doctors charged Perry $2,000 for a single vial that cost Chavez approximately $12, officials said. 'I wonder how much this moron will pay?…[Let's] find out,' Plasencia allegedly texted Chavez on Sept. 30, 2023, according to the indictment. Later that day, Plasencia injected Perry with ketamine at the actor's house and left vials behind for Iwamasa to administer to Perry even though the assistant had no medical training, the filing stated. After the meeting, Plasencia allegedly texted Chavez that the interaction was 'like a bad movie.' Chavez is due to be sentenced on Sept. 17. Fleming has his sentencing scheduled for Nov. 12, while Iwamasa has his sentencing set for Nov. 19. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Main doctor charged in actor Matthew Perry overdose to plead guilty
The main doctor charged in connection with the drug overdose of 'Friends' star Matthew Perry is expected to enter a guilty plea in the coming weeks, the US Justice Department said 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 department said in a statement. The second doctor in the case, Mark Chavez, pleaded guilty last October to conspiring to distribute ketamine in the weeks before the actor was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home in 2023. Perry's lengthy struggles with substance addiction were well-documented, but his death at age 54 sent shockwaves through the global legions of 'Friends' fans. A criminal investigation was launched soon after an autopsy discovered he had high levels of ketamine - an anesthetic - in his system. Plasencia allegedly bought ketamine off Chavez and sold it to the American-Canadian actor at hugely inflated prices. 'I wonder how much this moron will pay,' Plasencia wrote in one text message presented by prosecutors. He went to Perry's home to administer ketamine by injection, according to a plea deal published Monday by the Justice Department. In total, Plasencia distributed 20 vials of ketamine over a roughly two-week period in autumn 2023, the document said. Perry had been taking ketamine as part of supervised therapy for depression. But prosecutors say that before his death he became addicted to the substance, which also has psychedelic properties and is a popular party drug. Dark struggle Five people have been charged over Perry's death. Jasveen Sangha, the alleged 'Ketamine Queen' who supplied drugs to high-end clients and celebrities, is charged with selling Perry the dose that killed him. She has pleaded not guilty. Perry's live-in personal assistant and another man pleaded guilty last August to charges of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Comedic television series 'Friends,' which followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adulthood, dating and careers, drew a massive global following and made megastars of previously unknown actors. Perry's role as the sarcastic man-child Chandler brought him fabulous wealth, but hid a dark struggle with addiction to painkillers and alcohol. In 2018, he suffered a drug-related burst colon and underwent multiple surgeries. In his 2022 memoir 'Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,' Perry described going through detox dozens of times. 'I have mostly been sober since 2001,' he wrote, 'save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps.'--AFP
Extra.ie
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Major update in Matthew Perry death investigation
A California doctor accused of granting Matthew Perry access to ketamine in the weeks before the actor's overdose death has agreed to plead guilty, according to federal prosecutors. Dr Salvador Plasencia will plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine, federal prosecutors said in a statement on Monday. The plea carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, and the doctor is expected to make his plea in the coming weeks. Perry – best known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends – was found dead in his hot tub in Los Angeles in October 2023. He was 54 years old, and although he had been open about his struggles with depression and addiction, his death came as a shock around the world. According to text messages shared with prosecutors from Dr Mark Chavez—who already pleaded guilty in the case— Dr Plasencia apparently called Perry a 'moron' and wondered how much he'd be willing to pay for the drugs. After selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500, Plasencia allegedly asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them so they could become Perry's 'go-to', prosecutors said. According to documents from the plea agreement, Dr Plasencia injected Perry with ketamine at his home and in the parking lot of the Long Beach Aquarium. Dr Plasencia taught Perry's assistant, who is also a defendant, how to administer the drug and would sell extra vials for them to keep at home, according to the plea deal. The doctor is among five individuals accused by prosecutors of being part of an underground network of drug dealers and medical professionals who allegedly provided ketamine to Perry. While the actor was legally prescribed the drug to manage his depression, he sought quantities beyond his prescription. According to the plea agreement, between September 30 and October 12, 2023, Dr. Plasencia sold Perry and his assistant twenty 5ml vials of ketamine (at a concentration of 100mg/ml), along with a partial package of ketamine lozenges and syringes.
Courier-Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Courier-Mail
Update in Matthew Perry death as doctor who supplied Friends star Ketamine to plead guilty
Don't miss out on the headlines from Entertainment. Followed categories will be added to My News. One of the two doctors that was charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death has agreed to plead guilty, it's been revealed. Perry, who was best known for playing Chandler Bing on Friends, was found dead in his hot tub in Los Angeles in October 2023. He was just 54 at the time of his death, and had struggled with addiction throughout his adult life. An autopsy report revealed he died from the acute effects of ketamine. After months of silence in the case, the Department of Justice said on Monday that Dr Salvador Plasencia will plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine, reported New York Post. As a result of his plea, Plasencia could face up to 40 years behind bars if prosecutors hand down the maximum sentence. He originally pleaded not guilty in August 2024. Matthew Perry was found dead in his hot tub in October 2023. Picture: Getty/Supplied Plasencia, who operated an urgent care clinic in Malibu, had originally been set to go on trial in August in the case. His plea agreement follows Dr Mark Chavez, the other doctor charged in the case, who pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine in October 2024. Perry had been receiving off-label doses of ketamine through his regular doctor to help treat depression but the former prime time star began looking for additional doses from Plasencia, who had asked Chavez to help him find the drug. According to text messages shared with prosecutors from Chavez, Plasencia called Perry a 'moron' and wondered how much he'd be willing to pay for the drugs. Dr Salvador Plascencia faces up to 40 years in prison. Picture: Supplied Californian physician Mark Chavez made a plea agreement last year after being charged. Picture: AFP Plasencia personally injected Perry with the drug at his home and also in the carpark of Long Beach Aquarium. He also taught Perry's assistant to administer the drug. Perry paid Plasencia US$4,500 (A$5845) for individual doses of the drug, prompting Plasencia to ask Chavez to keep the supply coming so the pair of doctors could be Perry's 'go-to.' During one instance when Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry at the actor's home he was paid $12,000 for such a visit, according to the plea agreement. Plasencia is accused of supplying the bulk of Perry's ketamine in his final weeks. However, it's not believed he supplied the dose that killed the actor. Another defendant, Jasmine Sangha, known as 'the ketamine queen' who prosecutors claim was a major ketamine dealer, is alleged to have been the once responsible for supplying the deadly dose. She has pleaded not guilty, making her the only one of five individuals charged in Perry's death who has not entered a plea agreement. Originally published as Crucial update in Matthew Perry death as doctor who supplied Friends star Ketamine to plead guilty
Mercury
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mercury
Update in Matthew Perry death as doctor who supplied Friends star Ketamine to plead guilty
Don't miss out on the headlines from Entertainment. Followed categories will be added to My News. One of the two doctors that was charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death has agreed to plead guilty, it's been revealed. Perry, who was best known for playing Chandler Bing on Friends , was found dead in his hot tub in Los Angeles in October 2023. He was just 54 at the time of his death, and had struggled with addiction throughout his adult life. An autopsy report revealed he died from the acute effects of ketamine. After months of silence in the case, the Department of Justice said on Monday that Dr Salvador Plasencia will plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine, reported New York Post . As a result of his plea, Plasencia could face up to 40 years behind bars if prosecutors hand down the maximum sentence. He originally pleaded not guilty in August 2024. Plasencia, who operated an urgent care clinic in Malibu, had originally been set to go on trial in August in the case. His plea agreement follows Dr Mark Chavez, the other doctor charged in the case, who pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine in October 2024. Perry had been receiving off-label doses of ketamine through his regular doctor to help treat depression but the former prime time star began looking for additional doses from Plasencia, who had asked Chavez to help him find the drug. According to text messages shared with prosecutors from Chavez, Plasencia called Perry a 'moron' and wondered how much he'd be willing to pay for the drugs. Plasencia personally injected Perry with the drug at his home and also in the carpark of Long Beach Aquarium. He also taught Perry's assistant to administer the drug. Perry paid Plasencia US$4,500 (A$5845) for individual doses of the drug, prompting Plasencia to ask Chavez to keep the supply coming so the pair of doctors could be Perry's 'go-to.' During one instance when Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry at the actor's home he was paid $12,000 for such a visit, according to the plea agreement. Plasencia is accused of supplying the bulk of Perry's ketamine in his final weeks. However, it's not believed he supplied the dose that killed the actor. Another defendant, Jasmine Sangha, known as 'the ketamine queen' who prosecutors claim was a major ketamine dealer, is alleged to have been the once responsible for supplying the deadly dose. She has pleaded not guilty, making her the only one of five individuals charged in Perry's death who has not entered a plea agreement. Originally published as Crucial update in Matthew Perry death as doctor who supplied Friends star Ketamine to plead guilty
