Doctor charged in Matthew Perry ketamine death case pleads guilty
A doctor pleaded guilty Wednesday to distributing ketamine to Matthew Perry before he died, becoming the fourth person convicted in connection with the 'Friends' actor's 2023 overdose death.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine during a hearing in Los Angeles Wednesday morning, the Department of Justice said.
'Dr. Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry,' his attorney, Karen Goldstein, said in a statement. 'He is fully accepting responsibility by pleading guilty to drug distribution.'
Plasencia intends to voluntarily surrender his medical license, 'acknowledging his failure to protect Mr. Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction,' Goldstein said. He has indicated through his attorneys that he will surrender his medical license in the next 30 to 45 days, prosecutors said.
'While Dr. Plasencia was not treating Mr. Perry at the time of his death, he hopes his case serves as a warning to other medical professionals and leads to stricter oversight and clear protocols for the rapidly growing at-home ketamine industry in order to prevent future tragedies like this one,' Goldstein said.
Plasencia was one of five people charged in the wake of Perry's death from a ketamine overdose on Oct. 28, 2023, at the age of 54. The actor was discovered unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home, police said. An autopsy report revealed he died from the acute effects of ketamine.
The operator of an urgent care clinic in Malibu, Plasencia had been set to go on trial in August in the case prior to reaching a plea agreement. He will remain out on bond until his sentencing hearing on Dec. 3, with prosecutors saying he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each count. ABC
A doctor pleaded guilty Wednesday to distributing ketamine to Matthew Perry before he died, becoming the fourth person convicted in connection with the 'Friends' actor's 2023 overdose death.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine during a hearing in Los Angeles Wednesday morning, the Department of Justice said.
'Dr. Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry,' his attorney, Karen Goldstein, said in a statement. 'He is fully accepting responsibility by pleading guilty to drug distribution.'
Plasencia intends to voluntarily surrender his medical license, 'acknowledging his failure to protect Mr. Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction,' Goldstein said. He has indicated through his attorneys that he will surrender his medical license in the next 30 to 45 days, prosecutors said.
'While Dr. Plasencia was not treating Mr. Perry at the time of his death, he hopes his case serves as a warning to other medical professionals and leads to stricter oversight and clear protocols for the rapidly growing at-home ketamine industry in order to prevent future tragedies like this one,' Goldstein said.
Plasencia was one of five people charged in the wake of Perry's death from a ketamine overdose on Oct. 28, 2023, at the age of 54. The actor was discovered unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home, police said. An autopsy report revealed he died from the acute effects of ketamine.
The operator of an urgent care clinic in Malibu, Plasencia had been set to go on trial in August in the case prior to reaching a plea agreement. He will remain out on bond until his sentencing hearing on Dec. 3, with prosecutors saying he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each count. ABC
A doctor pleaded guilty Wednesday to distributing ketamine to Matthew Perry before he died, becoming the fourth person convicted in connection with the 'Friends' actor's 2023 overdose death.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine during a hearing in Los Angeles Wednesday morning, the Department of Justice said.
'Dr. Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry,' his attorney, Karen Goldstein, said in a statement. 'He is fully accepting responsibility by pleading guilty to drug distribution.'
Plasencia intends to voluntarily surrender his medical license, 'acknowledging his failure to protect Mr. Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction,' Goldstein said. He has indicated through his attorneys that he will surrender his medical license in the next 30 to 45 days, prosecutors said.
'While Dr. Plasencia was not treating Mr. Perry at the time of his death, he hopes his case serves as a warning to other medical professionals and leads to stricter oversight and clear protocols for the rapidly growing at-home ketamine industry in order to prevent future tragedies like this one,' Goldstein said.
Plasencia was one of five people charged in the wake of Perry's death from a ketamine overdose on Oct. 28, 2023, at the age of 54. The actor was discovered unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home, police said. An autopsy report revealed he died from the acute effects of ketamine.
The operator of an urgent care clinic in Malibu, Plasencia had been set to go on trial in August in the case prior to reaching a plea agreement. He will remain out on bond until his sentencing hearing on Dec. 3, with prosecutors saying he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each count. ABC
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Doctor charged in Matthew Perry ketamine death case pleads guilty
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