Doctor Sentenced to 2.5 Years for Selling Ketamine to Matthew Perry

LOS ANGELES: A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a doctor to 2 1/2 years in prison for illegally distributing ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks leading up to the “Friends” star’s fatal overdose in 2023.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 44, received the sentence plus two years of probation from Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in a Los Angeles federal courtroom, making him the first of five defendants to be sentenced in connection with the tragic death.

Judge Garnett delivered a stern rebuke to Plasencia before he was led from the courtroom in handcuffs. She emphasized that while Plasencia did not provide the specific dose that killed Perry, he played a critical role in enabling the addiction.

“You and others helped Mr. Perry on the road to such an ending by continuing to feed his ketamine addiction,” Judge Garnett told Plasencia. “You exploited Mr. Perry’s addiction for your own profit.”

Plasencia pleaded guilty in July to four counts of ketamine distribution. According to court filings, the doctor knowingly took advantage of the struggling actor, even texting a colleague that Perry was a “moron” who could be exploited for money.

Perry had been legally receiving the surgical anesthetic ketamine as a treatment for depression. However, when his regular doctor refused to provide the larger amounts he desired, he turned to Plasencia, who admitted to illegally selling the drug despite knowing Perry’s history as an addict.

Prosecutors had sought a three-year prison term, while the defense argued for a lenient sentence of just one day in prison plus probation. The defense lawyers, who offered testimonials from Plasencia’s patients, called his actions “reckless” and “the biggest mistake of his life,” describing him as a man who rose out of poverty to become a beloved physician.

Perry’s mother and two half sisters gave tearful victim impact statements before the sentencing. “The world mourns my brother,” said Madeleine Morrison. “He was everyone’s favorite friend.”

The four remaining defendants who reached plea agreements in connection with the case are scheduled to be sentenced in the coming months.