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One of the doctors charged in connection to Matthew Perry’s fatal ketamine overdose has reopened his medical practice – and can still see patients.
Dr Salvador Plasencia, along with Dr Mark Chavez, was charged with conspiring to distribute ketamine after the Friends actor was found dead in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home last October.
Three others have been charged – Perry’s former personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, a “friend of a friend of Perry’s” Erik Fleming, and Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen.” Plasencia – who was reportedly known colloquially as “Dr P” – is also charged with distributing ketamine and altering and falsifying records related to the federal investigation.
Now the doctor appears to be heading back to work after a sign was spotted on the door of his practice confirming the charges against him and informing patients he cannot prescribe any controlled substances.
“Dr Plasencia has surrendered his DEA registration number and currently cannot prescribe any controlled substances. He still maintains a medical license issued by the State of California,” the sign on the door of the Malibu Canyon Urgent Care in Calabasas read.
His attorney, Stefan Sacks, told The LA Times his client can still treat patients in some circumstances but must explain the charges against him and patients need to sign a consent form if they are willing to proceed.
“The conditions are that he disclose in writing the existence of the pending federal case, and the fact that he cannot prescribe controlled substances,” Sacks said. “Patients are then required to sign a written consent form for treatment… So basically the requirement is disclosure and informed consent.”
Plasencia allegedly taught Iwamasa how to inject Perry with the ketamine, according to prosecutors. At one point, the doctor injected Perry in the backseat of his car during a meeting in Long Beach.
The DOG’s indictment suggests the doctor saw Perry as a cash cow, citing text messages he sent to Chavez about a month before the actor’s death. “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” he wrote in one. “Let’s find out,” he wrote in another. In a third text to Chavez, Plasencia described meeting Perry as “like a bad movie.”
“Matthew Perry’s journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday, to street dealers who gave him ketamine in unmarked vials,” the DOJ said in a statement announcing the arrests.
Plasencia could be imprisoned for up to 10 years for each ketamine-related count and up to 20 years for each record falsification count he faces. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is due back in court on October 8.
Sangha has also pleaded not guilty and will appear in court in October, while Fleming, Chavez, and Iwamasa have reached a plea deal.
