A California physician has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for supplying ketamine to Friends actor Matthew Perry, marking the first prison term linked to the actor’s fatal overdose.
Dr Salvador Plasencia was among five individuals charged in a federal probe investigating how Perry accessed the dissociative anesthetic through an underground Hollywood network.
Perry, 54, died at his Los Angeles home in 2023 after battling depression and substance misuse for many years. His family described Plasencia as the “most culpable” and urged the court to impose a stiff sentence, highlighting the doctor’s repeated decisions to provide drugs to Perry despite knowing his vulnerabilities.
"Mr. Plasencia accepts the Court's sentence today with humility and deep remorse," his legal team said in a statement. "He was a good doctor loved by those he treated. He is not a villain. He is someone who made serious mistakes in his treatment decisions involving the off-label use of ketamine."
Over the summer, Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine. While the charges carried a possible 40-year sentence, prosecutors had recommended three years, with the court settling on 30 months.
The other defendants, including another doctor, an assistant, and two individuals who provided the fatal dose, have also pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
Perry, famed for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends, was open about his struggles with depression and drug addiction. Ahead of Plasencia’s sentencing, his father John and stepmother Debbie wrote: "Matthew's recovery counted on you saying NO. Your motives? I can't imagine. A doctor whose life is devoted to helping people?"
The actor’s parents described their grief as “devastating,” calling Plasencia a “jackal” for repeatedly violating his Hippocratic oath. Suzanne and Keith Morrison, Perry’s mother and stepfather, submitted letters noting text messages where Plasencia referred to Perry as a “moron” and speculated on what he would pay for drugs.
They wrote, "Sometimes it's a little easier to understand when a person commits a terrible crime. Maybe in the heat of passion, or because that person makes one very bad decision. But…a doctor? Who trades on respect, and trust?"
Their letters also noted that Perry was planning a professional comeback. "He wanted, needed, deserved…a third act. It was…in the planning. And then, those jackals," they said.
In a letter to the judge, Plasencia accepted full responsibility: "I did not set out to harm anyone, but my decisions during those days betrayed my duty as a physician. I crossed lines that no doctor should ever cross. No one forced me to do this; it was my own poor judgment and it was wrong." He explained that financial pressures on his clinic and the large sums of money offered for supplying ketamine influenced his decisions, despite seeing Perry’s signs of addiction. He voluntarily surrendered his medical license and gave up his clinic, stating he would "accept whatever sentence this Court deems appropriate."
Ketamine, a drug with hallucinogenic effects, is intended only for medical use under a physician’s supervision.
Perry initially received prescribed doses for depression, but later sought larger amounts. Court filings show he obtained ketamine from multiple doctors and a woman prosecutors called the “Ketamine Queen,” who supplied significant quantities from her Los Angeles residence, described as a “drug-selling emporium.”
Authorities said Plasencia, also called “Dr P,” administered ketamine to Perry at home and in a Long Beach aquarium parking lot.
He trained Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who also pleaded guilty, in administering the drug and sold additional vials for home use.
Between September 30 and October 12, 2023, Plasencia sold twenty 5ml vials of ketamine, ketamine lozenges, and syringes to Perry and his assistant. Prosecutors said Plasencia and the other defendants "took advantage of Mr Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves."
