FIVE people have been arrested over Matthew Perry’s overdose death – including a doctor who treated me just four weeks ago, and left me feeling uncomfortable.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 42, was among the suspects named this week by the Department of Justice after a months-long investigation.
He has been charged with illegally conspiring to supply ketamine to the star who was found unresponsive in his hot tub before being pronounced dead on October 28, 2023.
I have covered Perry for years as a journalist, breaking his relationship with ex-fiancee Molly Hurwitz and writing at length about his addiction issues, which he was always open about.
But it wasn’t until I began to dig into Plasencia, known as “Dr. P.”, for The U.S. Sun, that I made a horrifying discovery – not only had I met him before, but I’d been treated by Perry’s ‘killer’ doc.
I’d seen Dr. Plasencia at an urgent care facility just last month – and he’d given me the creeps.
I met the celebrity physician when I visited Dr. P’s Malibu Canyon Urgent Care with my partner, late on Saturday, July 20, with a possible kidney infection.
I’d called ahead of time to see if they were open and told them I was in pain after being given the wrong antibiotics by another doctor.
We went in and were greeted by a man at reception who I remember thinking at the time seemed very stoic.
We chatted for some time about the pain I was in and I remember also mentioning I was a journalist.
Dr. P was completely emotionless, and the whole interaction felt ‘off.’
Katy Forrester
After filling out forms and heading into a private room the same man then appeared in a white coat and joked he was not just the receptionist, he was also the doctor.
I found this incredibly odd and had never been to a medical office with only one staff member.
Matthew Perry’s Ketamine Death: Arrests Made
It was honestly like a scene from a psychological thriller where the local barman is also the postman and the priest.
It was odd but we just laughed it off at the time and Dr. P examined me before writing up a prescription for new antibiotics.
When we went back to the reception area we chatted a little longer and asked him why he was the only staff member there, mentioning it was likely a good way to save money running the place on his own.
I joked and laughed with my partner, but Dr. P was completely emotionless, and the whole interaction felt ‘off’.
We spoke with him some more and I asked about certain aspects of the decor in the office, artwork, and a little house ornament a friend had given him.
What we know so far…
- Five people have been charged for the fatal drug overdose of famed Friends actor Matthew Perry, who was found dead on October 28, 2023.
- The suspects named in the federal indictment were identified as doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s live-in assistant, broker Mark Fleming, and accused drug dealer Jasveen Sangha.
- Investigators said Matthew Perry fell back into addiction during the fall of 2023.
- Between September and October 2023, Plasencia, Chavez, and Sangha distributed approximately 70 vials of ketamine to Perry.
- The five suspects coordinated to deliver the drugs to Perry to “enrich themselves,” prosecutors said.
- Plasencia and Sangha were arrested on Thursday, while Fleming, Chavez, and Iwamasa signed plea agreements.
- According to Iwamasa’s plea agreement, all of the ketamine administered to Perry on the day he died was provided by Fleming and his drug source.
- The plea states that, at Perry’s direction, Iwamasa first injected him with a shot of ketamine at around 8:30 a.m. before giving him a second at 12:45 p.m.
- About 40 minutes later, Perry asked Iwamasa to “prepare the jacuzzi” for him, telling him to “Shoot me up with a big one.”
- Iwamasa allegedly did so, and later found the actor “face down in the jacuzzi and deceased.”
Each comment was met with a blank expression, even when we joked we would return for Ozempic next time, which was also sold there.
When we left, my partner and I spoke at length about the visit and I mentioned he made me feel uncomfortable. He also told me felt the situation was very strange.
At the time, I couldn’t understand why.
I still have a record of the visit with a credit card payment of $50 on July 20.
When I realized who I’d been treated by and read the sweeping indictment I felt slightly sick, it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
After the news broke of the doctor’s arrest, I returned to the urgent care on Thursday, which had a sign on the door that read, “Clinic will be closed for today sorry.”
I spoke to local business owners along the road. Many had never met him, but one described Dr. P as friendly and said he’d been treated by him just 10 days ago and he seemed to be in a normal mood.
All were shocked by the news that someone who runs a business just doors away could be caught up in such a big drug scandal.
According to property records, Dr. P lives with his wife in a modest home in nearby Agoura Hills.
Nobody was home when I visited the house late Thursday and there were no cars in the drive.
One neighbor said it was a “very sad story” but she wasn’t aware of the doctor’s arrest.
Another said she saw it on the news that there’d been a development and texts were revealed from Dr. P, while a third added, “I’m now glad we don’t know him.”
Law enforcement also claims he texted another suspect saying, “I wonder how much this moron will pay. Let’s find out,” referring to Perry, 54.
You are meant to be able to trust your doctor and those who treat you in an emergency, and it’s unsettling to think what he may have been up to after hours.
Dr. P would allegedly distribute ketamine to Perry, and on one occasion, he met with the star and his live-in assistant, who has also been charged, at a parking lot in Long Beach to inject him.
On another occasion at Perry’s home, Dr. P allegedly administered a “large dose” to Perry, which prompted an “adverse medical reaction.”
Perry’s body is said to have frozen up while Dr. P allegedly warned, “Let’s not do that again.”
The claims emerged on Friday in documents pertaining to a plea deal taken by Perry’s former live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, and obtain by Rolling Stone.
The agreement claims Perry asked Iwamasa to “shoot me up with a big one” on the day he died.
It also claims that when Perry froze up, Dr. P still left “additional vials of ketamine” for Iwamasa to give Perry.
The doctor’s website states he “is a primary care physician trained in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics.”
It explains, “His experience treating patients ranges from newborns to senior citizens. Having worked as an Emergency Room physician, he also has experience dealing with urgent medical issues.”
The bio also claims, “We are physician-owned and operated which is important because this means that all decisions in the management of this clinic put the patient’s health first. Always.”
He is accused of distributing about 20 vials of ketamine to Perry between September and October 2023 in exchange for $55,000 in cash, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
Plasencia is facing one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine, and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation.
Prosecutors said Plascenia saw it as an opportunity to profit off of Perry.
Five charged in Matthew Perry’s death
On August 15, prosecutors announced a slew of charges stemming from the tragic overdose death of Friends star Matthew Perry.
Here are the five individuals allegedly behind Perry’s ketamine crisis.
- “Ketamine Queen of Los Angeles” Jasveen Sangha – Sangha is a 41-year-old drug dealer who allegedly helped sell the ketamine that killed Perry, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. In 2019, Sangha sold ketamine to another victim hours before he died, prosecutors say. After hearing of his death, she allegedly searched “can ketamine be listed as a cause of death,” on Google. She faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of all charges.
- “Dr. P” Dr. Salvador Plasencia – Plasencia, 42, allegedly learned that Perry was seeking ketamine, and obtained doses from a dirty doctor. Speaking to the doctor over text, he allegedly said, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.” Plasencia taught unlicensed people associated with Perry how to inject ketamine, and even personally injected it at times, prosecutors say. Perry’s assistant, who was taught by Plasencia, administered the fatal dose on October 28, 2023. Plasencia is facing nine charges stemming from the death.
- Kenneth Iwamasa – Iwamasa, 59, was Perry’s live-in assistant who was allegedly taught how to inject ketamine by Dr. Plasencia, according to prosecutors. He also corresponded with dealers to organize the sale and delivery of the drug. He admitted to injecting Perry multiple times on the day of his death in a guilty plea.
- Eric Fleming – Fleming, 54, is a dealer who helped to coordinate drug sales to Sangha before they ultimately made it to Perry. He corresponded with Iwamasa when ketamine was on its way to their home. Fleming admitted to distributing 50 vials of ketamine to Iwamasa, half of them four days before Perry’s death.
- Dr. Mark Chavez – Chavez admitted to selling ketamine to Dr. Plasencia by writing fraudulent prescriptions. He also coordinated with Iwamasa to get the drugs to Perry. Between September and October 2023, Plasencia, Chavez, and Iwamasa allegedly distributed approximately 20 vials of ketamine to Perry for $55,000 in cash.
“He [Plascenia] also stated in text messages that he wanted to be Mr. Perry’s sole source of supply for drugs,” Martin Estrada, the US attorney for the Central District of California said.
According to reports, Plasencia pleaded not guilty and was released after posting bail, which was set at $100,000.
CBS reported he is allowed to continue his medical practice but a judge ordered that he have all patients sign a form showing the charges he is facing.
Plasencia’s attorney, Stefan Sacks, said outside court, “It was nothing that rises to the level of criminal misconduct.”
Other suspects named in the federal indictment were San Diego doctor Mark Chavez, Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s live-in assistant; broker Mark Fleming, and accused drug dealer Jasveen Sangha.
Los Angeles investigators said they “took advantage of Perry’s addiction to enrich themselves” with the doctors charging the actor $2,000 for a vial of ketamine that cost them $12.
Sangha, 41, pleaded not guilty and will be held without bail at least until her next hearing on October 15.
Plasencia is facing 120 years in prison, while Sangha is looking at a life sentence.
Fleming, 54, Iwamasa, 59, and Chavez, 54, all agreed to plead guilty to an array of drug charges.
Perry had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression and anxiety.
It was during this time that he became addicted to ketamine, Drug Enforcement Agency administrator Anne Milgram revealed on Thursday following the investigation.
“When clinic doctors refused to increase his dosage he turned to unscrupulous doctors, who saw Perry as a way to make quick money,” Milgram said.
“As Matthew Perry’s ketamine addiction grew, he wanted more, and he wanted faster and cheaper.
“That is how he ended up buying from street dealers, who sold the ketamine that ultimately led to his death.”
It’s a sad outcome in the star’s story and will be interesting to see how the case turns out in the coming months.
