California doctor to plead guilty to supplying Matthew Perry with ketamine

California doctor to plead guilty to supplying Matthew Perry with ketamine

Actor Matthew Perry arrives at the Summer TCA Party at Pacific Design Center in 2015 in West Hollywood.

A California doctor accused of giving Friends star Matthew Perry access to ketamine in the weeks before the actor's overdose death has agreed to plead guilty, according to federal prosecutors.

Dr Salvador Plasencia will plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine, federal prosecutors said in a statement on Monday. The plea carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and the doctor is expected to make his plea in the coming weeks.

Perry ? best known for playing Chandler Bing on Friends ? was found dead in his hot tub in Los Angeles in October 2023. He was 54 and although he'd been open about struggles with depression and addiction, fans around the world were shocked by his death.

According to text messages shared with prosecutors from Dr Mark Chavez - a doctor who already pleaded guilty in the case - Dr Plasencia called Perry a "moron" and wondered how much he'd be willing to pay for the drugs.