Los Angeles: Late actor Matthew Perry’s doctor Salvador Plasencia on Wednesday pleaded guilty to giving ‘Friends’ star ketamine before his tragic death.
During a hearing in Los Angeles, the doctor admitted to supplying four counts of illegal distribution of the drug, which is used as a prescription anaesthetic.
Salvador Plasencia will face a statutory maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison for each count at his sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for December 3, the US Attorney’s Office of the Central District of California said in a press statement, as per CNN.
He has also been directed to surrender his medical license within the next 30-45 days, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
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, Variety reported.
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 faces a theoretical maximum of 40 years behind bars, but is likely to receive far less than that under federal sentencing guidelines.