A California physician, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, an Internal medicine doctor, from Malibu Canyon Urgent care clinic, 44, was sentenced on Wednesday to 30 months (2.5 years) in federal prison and ordered to pay a $5,600 fine for illegally supplying ketamine to actor Matthew Perry in the weeks leading up to his fatal overdose in 2023.
The sentencing took place in Los Angeles federal court, involving multiple defendants accused of exploiting Perry’s long-standing struggle with substance use.
Plasencia had pleaded guilty in July to four felony counts of illegal distribution of the anesthetic ketamine. Although federal law allows for a sentence of up to 40 years, the judge imposed 30 months, citing several mitigating factors while emphasizing the seriousness of his actions.
Perry, 54, was found by his assistant on October 28, 2023, unresponsive and floating face down in the jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home. An autopsy concluded that he died from the “acute effects of ketamine,” which caused him to lose consciousness and drown.
According to federal investigators:
Perry had been receiving legitimate ketamine infusions for depression and anxiety at a medical clinic.
When doctors refused to increase his dosage, he sought out other providers willing to supply the drug illegally.
Plasencia administered multiple ketamine injections to Perry at the actor’s home and once in the back seat of a parked car.
Plasencia sourced the ketamine through co-defendant Dr. Mark Chavez, who also pleaded guilty.
In text messages cited by prosecutors, Plasencia referred to Perry, writing:
“I wonder how much this moron will pay.”
The ketamine that caused Perry’s fatal overdose ultimately came from another co-defendant, identified as Jasveen Sangha, 42, known as the “Ketamine Queen.”
Perry’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, injected the final dose.
Iwamasa, Chavez, Sangha, and a go-between dealer, Erik Fleming, have all pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
"You and others helped Mr. Perry stay on the road to such an ending while continuing to feed his addiction."U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett
According to Reuters, before sentencing, Plasencia addressed the court, speaking through tears while Perry’s family listened and said he was truly sorry and failed Mr. Perry.
The court noted that Plasencia had already surrendered his medical license in September.
Earlier in the hearing, Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, delivered a victim impact statement describing the family’s grief and the betrayal they felt from a medical professional.
Matthew Perry openly discussed his decades-long battle with substance use, including during his years on Friends. He frequently advocated for mental health and addiction treatment and had spoken about previous attempts at rehabilitation.
(Rh/TL/MSM)