Malibu Doctor Called Matthew Perry a ‘Moron’ Before Fatal Drug Overdose, Prosecutors Say

Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who is accused in connection with the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry, called the beloved star a “moron” in a text message just over a month before Perry died, according to a federal indictment released on August 15 says.

“On September 30, 2023, in text messages with Co-Conspirator (Dr. Mark) Chavez, defendant PLASENCIA discussed how much to charge Victim M.P. for ketamine, stating: ‘I wonder how much this moron will pay’ and ‘Lets find out,'” the indictment says, adding that Plasencia then traveled to obtain a fraudulent prescription and liquid ketamine from Chavez.

In the federal indictment, Jasveen Sangha, 41, of North Hollywood, was charged along with Plasencia. The indictment says Plasencia also texted Perry, writing, “I will give you first dose if you would like and leave supplies with you,” referring to ketamine.

“On September 30, 2023, defendant PLASENCIA sent text messages to Co-Conspirator Chavez describing the meeting with Victim M.P., stating it was ‘like a bad movie’ and confirming that defendant PLASENCIA would send Co-Conspirator Chavez payment soon,” the indictment says, adding that Plasencia received thousands of dollars.

Plasencia is then accused of injecting Perry with ketamine and showing Perry’s assistant “how to inject ketamine and left ketamine and syringes with Co-Conspirator Iwamasa so that Co-Conspirator Iwamasa could administer ketamine to Victim M.P.,” the indictment says.

Sangha and Plasencia “are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Sangha also is charged with one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of distribution of ketamine,” a U.S. Department of Justice press release says.

“The superseding indictment alleges that Sangha’s distribution of ketamine on October 24, 2023, caused Perry’s death. Plasencia is charged with seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation,” it says.

Perry died on October 28, 2023, from “the acute effects of ketamine,” in an accidental death, according to a press release from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. The star “was found unresponsive in the pool at his residence,” that release says, adding, “The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (DME) determined the cause of death for 54-year-old actor Matthew Langford Perry as the acute effects of ketamine. Contributing factors in Mr. Perry’s death include drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder). The manner of death is an accident.”

In the press release, authorities announced that three other defendants were charged separately. The release makes the following accusations against those three:

Eric Fleming, 54, of Hawthorne, who pleaded guilty on August 8 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Fleming admitted in court documents that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry. He further admitted to obtaining the ketamine from his source, Sangha, and to distributing 50 vials of ketamine to Perry’s live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa – half of them four days before Perry’s death.

Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, of Toluca Lake, who conspired with Sangha, Fleming, and Plasencia to illegally obtain ketamine and distribute it to Perry. Iwamasa, who pleaded guilty on August 7 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, admitted to repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine without medical training, including performing multiple injections on Perry on October 28, 2023 – the day Perry died.

Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, of San Diego, a physician who has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Chavez admitted in his plea agreement to selling ketamine to Plasencia, including ketamine that he had diverted from his former ketamine clinic. Chavez also obtained additional ketamine to transfer to Plasencia by making false representations to a wholesale ketamine distributor and by submitting a fraudulent prescription in the name of a former patient without that patient’s knowledge or consent.

As with all defendants, Plasencia and the others are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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The Indictment Accuses Dr. Salvador Plasencia of Knowing That Matthew Perry Had a Drug Addiction

According to the indictment, Plasencia and other defendants were “aware that Victim M.P. had a history of drug abuse and addiction, and that Victim M.P. had sought on multiple occasions assistance to treat his drug addiction and to maintain his sobriety.”

“On October 28, 2023, using syringes provided by defendant PLASENCIA, Co-Conspirator Iwamasa injected Victim M.P. with multiple doses of the ketamine he received from Co-Conspirator Fleming and defendant SANGHA, resulting in the death and serious bodily injury of Victim M.P.,” the indictment says.

The indictment accuses Plasencia of communicating with Iwamasa, using “coded language to discuss drug deals, including referring to bottles of ketamine as ‘Dr. Pepper,’ ‘cans,’ and ‘bots.'” Plasencia and Fleming would then communicate with ketamine supply sources, including Sangha and Chavez, according to the indictment, which says that Iwamasa met with Plasencia to purchase ketamine.

The indictment says that Plasencia also texted Chavez on October 4, 2023, asking whether Chavez was having “any trouble finding more ketamine . . . in case this continues with this guy,” noting “I think [we] would be best served not having him look elsewhere” because defendant PLASENCIA wanted to “[b]e his go-to.”

A page for Plasencia on Malibu Canyon Health reads, “Dr. Plasencia is trained in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. He has 15 years of medical experience and is able to treat patients of all ages. Having worked as an Emergency Room physician, he also has experience dealing with urgent medical issues. As physician lead, he will guide the direction and overall delivery of medical care provided at Malibu Canyon Urgent Care.”

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The Indictment Says that Dr. Salvador Plasencia Distributed Ketamine to Matthew Perry Without a ‘Legitimate Medical Purpose’

“Defendant PLASENCIA would distribute ketamine to Co-Conspirator Iwamasa and Victim M.P. outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, including by teaching Co-Conspirator Iwamasa how to inject Victim M.P. with ketamine, selling ketamine to Co-Conspirator Iwamasa to inject into Victim M.P., injecting ketamine into Victim M.P. without the proper safety equipment, and failing to properly monitor Victim M.P. after defendant PLASENCIA injected Victim M.P. with ketamine,” the indictment says.

The indictment says that Ketamine “was a Schedule III controlled substance that was FDA-approved for induction and maintenance of general anesthesia during surgical procedures. Due to the medical risks associated with ketamine, it was widely accepted in the medical community that a health care professional was required to monitor a patient who had just been given ketamine.”

The indictment notes: “While monitoring a patient who had been administered ketamine, it was necessary for the health care professional to have access to certain lifesaving equipment, including a defibrillator, a supply of supplemental oxygen, equipment to monitor the patient’s heart rate and breathing, and medication to ensure patient safety.”

“These defendants cared more about profiting off of Mr. Perry than caring for his well-being,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada in a news release. “Drug dealers selling dangerous substances are gambling with other people’s lives over greed. This case, along with our many other prosecutions of drug-dealers who cause death, send a clear message that we will hold drug-dealers accountable for the deaths they cause.”

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