Matthew Perry, the star of the hit TV show Friends, appeared to be “frozen” after a doctor injected him with a “large amount” of ketamine just two weeks before he died of an overdose. Perry was charged Thursday with involvement in the doctor’s death.
Salvador Plascencia was indicted along with another doctor, Mark Chavez, Perry’s longtime assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, alleged street dealer Eric Fleming and “Los Angeles Ketamine Queen” Jasbeen Sangha, who authorities say scammed the 54-year-old actor out of thousands of dollars by conning him for vials of ketamine worth about $12 each.
According to the indictment, Plascencia, 42, was licensed to prescribe and administer powerful tranquilizers, but was trying to profit from Perry’s well-publicized drug abuse, texting Iwamasa, “I wonder how much this idiot’s gonna pay,” to give him ketamine when Iwamasa became out of control.
But doctors appeared to reverse course when Perry suffered “freezing” symptoms and a spike in blood pressure after receiving a “large dose” of ketamine, 16 days before he was found dead in a hot tub at his California home in October.
“Let’s not do that again,” he told Iwamasa, 59.
Prosecutors allege that Iwamasa, who lived with Perry and served as his assistant since 1994, administered at least 27 ketamine injections to Perry in the last five days of his life, three of which resulted in Perry’s “death and serious injury.”
Perry had been undergoing ketamine therapy for several weeks to treat depression at the time of his death, and the “Fools Rush In” star contacted Plascencia after doctors at the clinic refused to increase his ketamine dosage, Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Anne Milgram said Thursday.
Plascencia added that he asked Chavez, 54, to help him obtain drugs for Perry.
From September until Perry’s death on Oct. 28, Plascencia and Chavez allegedly provided Perry with approximately 20 vials of ketamine in exchange for approximately $55,000 in cash, and allegedly made Perry pay $2,000 to purchase the ketamine, which cost $12 a vial.
Iwamasa also said he wanted to be Perry’s “go-to” drug provider, authorities said. Iwamasa, who has no medical training, injected Perry with drugs at Plascencia’s direction.
Plascencia allegedly sold Iwamasa an additional $6,000 worth of ketamine, knowing that Perry’s addiction was becoming fatal.
Authorities believe Perry’s final, fatal dose of ketamine was supplied by Sangha.
Plascencia and Sangha are both charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
USDC
Plascencia also faces seven counts of sale of ketamine and two counts of falsifying and altering documents or records in connection with a federal investigation.
Sangha, who allegedly ran the stash house, is also charged with one count of maintaining a drug facility, one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell, one count of possession of ketamine with intent to sell and five counts of selling ketamine.
Fleming, Iwamasa and Chavez each accepted deals to confess to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death.
