Kriti Mehrotra
When ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry was found dead in his Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023, it shattered countless hearts across the globe, considering everything he was. However, as chronicled in ABC’s ‘Impact x Nightline: What Happened to Matthew Perry?’ the fact he’d died as a result of apparently his past addiction issues being taken advantage of hurt even more. So, amongst those to have since been arrested and charged in connection to his death is Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who reportedly supplied his assistant with ketamine to administer.
Salvador Plasencia Specialized in Internal and Pediatric Medicine
It was reportedly back when Salvador was just a young boy that he first developed an interest in the world of science and medicine, driving him to work hard to pursue a career in the same. Therefore, this California native enrolled in the University of California-Riverside for a Bachelor’s in Biology almost as soon as he had graduated from Arroyo High School in El Monte. He then attended the University of California-Los Angeles Medical School for his doctorate, which he earned in 2010, prior to doing his residency at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa.
Salvador actually picked his specialization in internal medicine as well as pediatrics in Tulsa, all the while also serving in the emergency room as a trauma doctor for a lot more experience. It’s unclear when he ultimately returned to California, but he did soon launch a private practice in Calabasas, began serving as a Physician at TeliMedi in Thousand Oaks, and took up the role of medical lead at Malibu Canyon Urgent Care. However, everything turned upside down for him in 2023 as it came to light that he had, apparently, illegally been supplying ketamine to Matthew Perry in large quantities, which inadvertently led to his demise.
Salvador Plasencia Has Been Indicted on Nine Counts
According to records, it was in the fall of 2023 when Salvador came to know that the actor was apparently looking for some extra supply of ketamine as he had relapsed during his legal treatments from the drug for his mental health. This physician thus reportedly contacted San Diego-based doctor Mark Chavez, who ostensibly agreed to acquire the anesthetic medication before forwarding it to him; all the while he also attained the same by writing false prescriptions and statements for it. In fact, he allegedly even messaged the fellow doctor things like “I wonder how much this moron will pay” and “Let’s [sic] find out,” before making it clear he wanted him to be a repeat customer.
Records actually also indicate that it was Salvador who taught Matthew’s live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, how to administer the drug before supplying it all through September and October. As per records, he purportedly gave him drugs worth more than $50,000 in at least seven intervals, only to get caught once the others involved were questioned and began revealing the entire truth. At the age of 43, this Santa Monica Dr. “P” was thus arrested on August 15, 2024, on seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering/falsifying documents or records related to a federal case.
Salvador Plasencia is Currently Out on Bond
Salvador actually pleaded not guilty the day he was arraigned, but instead of remaining detained until his trial, he was able to make the $100,000 bond set by the judge and walk out with stipulations. He is not permitted to practice medicine until the case against him is closed, he is not allowed to leave the state or the nation, and any break of these rules or an additional crime would result in his bail getting revoked. So, today, it appears as if he is actually back in Calabases and managing his clinic – managing, not practicing medicine himself – until a court date for his subsequent hearings is set. If he is convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each ketamine-related count and up to 20 years in federal prison for each record falsification count, which totals up to 110 years.
Read More: Kenneth Iwamasa: Where is Matthew Perry’s Personal Assistant Now?
