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Doctors who treat Matthew Perry will no longer be able to write prescriptions. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) verified to E! News on August 19 that Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, two of the five individuals indicted in relation to the Friends alum's murder, have turned in their registrations to write prescriptions.
The lawyers for Chavez and Plasencia were contacted by E! News for comment, but they did not respond.
On October 28, Perry was discovered dead in the hot tub at his California residence. The Los Angeles Medical Examiner determined in December that the actor's death was caused by drug overdose and drowning, namely by the "acute effects of ketamine.".
Plasencia and Chavez were among five individuals suspected of "profiting off" Perry's long-term drug addiction and charged for their alleged participation in his death, the Department of Justice disclosed in a press conference on August 15.
Plasencia was listed as one of the principal defendants by the prosecution, which claimed that the physician had supplied the Fools Rush In actor with about 20 vials of ketamine between September and October 2023 in exchange for $55,000 in cash. The doctor had collaborated with the singer's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. Iwamasa entered a guilty plea on Aug. 7 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, causing death.
The DOJ brought other accusations against the medical practitioners in addition to this one. In order to figure out how much money they could convince the actor to spend on the hallucinogenic drug, Placensia also allegedly texted Chavez, a doctor in San Diego who is suspected of selling ketamine to Plasencia to administer to Perry. At one point, Plasencia is said to have written, "I wonder how much this moron will pay."
Plasencia, who was released on bond on August 16 and has not publicly entered a plea, is currently facing a number of charges, including one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of ketamine distribution, and two counts of falsifying and altering documents or records pertaining to the federal investigation. The 42-year-old may spend up to 30 years in federal prison if found guilty. prison.
Chavez, who is scheduled to be arraigned on August 30, entered a guilty plea to the charge of conspiring to distribute ketamine. Should he be found guilty, he may spend up to 10 years in federal prison.
And although Perry's death investigation is still ongoing, his friends and family haven't stopped talking about his legacy. Indeed, Marta Kauffman, the creator of Friends, recently sent a note for fans who might be keeping track of the case.
"I have two ideas about how to honor him: let's fight the disease by donating to drug treatment centers," Kauffman stated to The Times. The second option is to watch Friends and remember him as a man, not as someone who passed away in that manner. who was hilariously funny and brought joy to everybody.”
