A California physician who supplied ketamine to Friends actor Matthew Perry has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, becoming the first person punished in the investigation into the star’s overdose death.
Dr Salvador Plasencia was one of five individuals charged after a multi-year federal probe uncovered how Perry obtained large amounts of the anesthetic through an illicit Hollywood drug network.
Perry, 54, was found dead at his Los Angeles home in 2023 after long-standing battles with depression and addiction.
Family calls doctor “most culpable”
In court, Perry’s family urged the judge to impose a lengthy sentence, describing Plasencia as the “most responsible” for enabling the actor’s relapse. Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, addressed the court emotionally, referencing text messages in which Plasencia called her son a “moron” while negotiating drug prices.
“There was nothing moronic about that man,” she said, telling the doctor he should have upheld his oath to protect patients — including her son.
Doctor expresses remorse
Plasencia apologized directly to the family, saying he took full responsibility for his actions. He spoke of his own two-year-old son and the difficulty of eventually explaining his role in Perry’s death.
“I failed myself. There is no excuse,” he said. “I should have protected him. I’m so sorry.”
Along with the prison term, Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett ordered Plasencia to pay a $5,600 fine. He was taken into custody immediately after sentencing.
Plasencia had pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine, charges that carried a maximum sentence of 40 years. Prosecutors had recommended three years.
Others involved also face sentencing
Four additional defendants — another doctor, Perry’s assistant, and two individuals who supplied the fatal ketamine dose — have also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in the coming months.
Best known as Chandler Bing on Friends, Perry had spoken openly about his struggles with addiction and his determination to recover. His family, in victim impact statements, said his death had “devastated” them and accused Plasencia of repeatedly violating his ethical obligations.
“Matthew’s recovery depended on you saying no,” wrote his father, John, and stepmother, Debbie. They said Perry was preparing for a comeback and “deserved a third act.”
Financial motives and a struggling clinic
In a letter to the judge, Plasencia admitted he supplied Perry despite recognizing clear signs of addiction, saying the offer of “large sums of money” tempted him at a time when his medical clinic was failing. He surrendered his medical license after his arrest.
How the drug network operated
Ketamine, which has hallucinogenic properties, is legally used under medical supervision for anesthesia and treatment-resistant depression. Perry had been prescribed the drug legitimately, but prosecutors say he began seeking larger quantities.
Court records describe how he obtained drugs from several doctors and from a woman dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,” who allegedly ran a high-volume drug operation out of her Los Angeles home.
Prosecutors say Plasencia — known in text messages as “Dr P” — administered ketamine to Perry both at the actor’s home and even in a parking lot outside a Long Beach aquarium. He also taught Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, how to inject the drug and sold additional vials for them to store.
From 30 September to 12 October 2023, Plasencia allegedly sold Perry and Iwamasa twenty 5ml vials, ketamine lozenges, and syringes.
Prosecutors argue that Plasencia and the others exploited Perry’s addiction for profit, ultimately contributing to the actor’s death.
