The doctors are alleged to have charged the Friends actor $2,000 for a vial of ketamine they bought for $12. Perry’s live-in assistant has admitted repeatedly injecting the star with the drug.
One of the doctors accused over the ketamine-related death of troubled Friends star Matthew Perry wrote in a text: “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” prosecutors have alleged.
The text was written by Salvador Plasencia, a medical doctor known as “Dr. P”, who is one of five defendants charged in relation to the actor’s death, according to prosecutors.
Others charged include Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen”, Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s live-in personal assistant, Erik Fleming, an acquaintance of the TV star, and another doctor, Mark Chavez.
Iwamasa and Fleming have already pleaded guilty to charges relating to Perry’s death, while Chavez, a San Diego physician, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
On Thursday afternoon, Plasencia pleaded not guilty to the charge against him, and his trial is scheduled to start on 8 October.
The judge agreed to a $100,000 (£77,796) bail bond with some additional conditions.
Plasencia was also granted permission to keep running his medical practice “not related to controlled substances” while on bail as long as he posted a notice explaining his circumstances and that each patient signed a form stating they knew about the charges against him.
Sangha pleaded not guilty but was not released on bail, as she had already been on bail after being arrested in March for a previous drug charge.
That bail bond was rescinded on Thursday due to the concern of flight risk and the fact that she had asked a co-conspirator to delete text messages.
Her trial is scheduled for 15 October.
It comes after Perry was found dead in a swimming pool at his California home in October 2023.
A grand jury indictment, filed in California, alleges Plasencia sold ketamine and paraphernalia such as syringes to Perry’s assistant – and taught him how to inject the drug – after the actor developed an addiction while seeking mental health treatment.
Ketamine has in recent years seen a huge surge in use, as a treatment for depression, anxiety and pain.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) administrator Anne Milgram said: “Matthew Perry sought treatment for depression and anxiety and went to a local clinic where he became addicted to intravenous ketamine.
“When clinic doctors refused to increase his dosage, he turned to unscrupulous doctors who saw Perry as a way to make quick money.”
Prosecutors allege Chavez funnelled ketamine to Plasencia, securing some of the drug from a wholesale distributor through a fraudulent prescription.
In one instance, prosecutors allege that Plasencia “charged Perry $2,000 (£1,500) a vial that cost Dr Chavez approximately $12 (£9)”.