Death of 'Friends' actor Matthew Perry: The main doctor prosecuted will also plead guilty

The main doctor prosecuted in this case, Salvador Plasencia, plans to plead guilty to distributing ketamine "in the coming weeks," the prosecutor's office explained in a statement on Monday.

For this he risks up to "40 years of imprisonment."

A second Los Angeles doctor, Mark Chavez, has already admitted to illegally helping to supply ketamine to the actor and faces up to 10 years in prison.

The death of Matthew Perry, found unconscious in his jacuzzi in October 2023, shocked "Friends" fans and sparked a flood of tributes in Hollywood.

The actor had spoken publicly about his addiction problems.

He had been taking ketamine under supervision as part of therapy sessions for depression. But the legal anesthetic is sometimes misused for stimulant or euphoric purposes, and he relapsed into addiction in the fall of 2023, according to federal prosecutors.

A relapse that pushed him into the clutches of "unscrupulous" doctors, according to the authorities.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia is suspected of playing a central role in this case, even though he did not supply the ketamine that killed the actor.

According to the investigation, it was he who organized the "exploitation" of the sick actor.

"I wonder how much this moron will pay," he wrote in September 2023, in a text message exhumed by investigators.

The plea agreement released Monday by the prosecution states that Mr. Plasencia obtained his supplies from Dr. Chavez and traveled to Matthew Perry's home to inject him with ketamine or provide it to the star's assistant.

In total, Mr. Plasencia "distributed twenty vials" of ketamine to the actor over a fortnight in the fall of 2023, according to the prosecution.

Authorities previously said the vials of ketamine cost the doctors involved about $12, but were sold back to the actor for "$2,000."

Five suspects are being prosecuted for their involvement in Mr. Perry's death.

The other defendant at the center of the case is Jasveen Sangha, a drug dealer known in Hollywood as the "Queen of Ketamine."

This 41-year-old British-American sold the bottle of ketamine that killed the actor and faces life imprisonment. She has pleaded not guilty.

Matthew Perry's personal assistant and an intermediary have agreed to plead guilty.

Long-term addiction problems

A true cultural phenomenon, the series, broadcast between 1994 and 2004, left its mark on a whole generation of viewers, telling the adventures of a group of happy friends in New York.

But behind the scenes, Matthew Perry long hid a malaise behind his jovial Chandler persona. He had long struggled with his addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol.

In his 2022 memoir, he revealed that he underwent 65 withdrawal sessions, spending more than $9 million.

He also underwent several surgeries related to his drug addiction problems, including a seven-hour colon operation in 2018, going so far as to say: "I should be dead."