Doctor Who Sold Matthew Perry Ketamine Before Fatal Overdose Sentenced to Prison
The Los Angeles doctor pleaded guilty in the case surrounding the actor’s 2023 death.

David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images
A Los Angeles doctor who sold ketamine to Matthew Perry before his overdose death in 2023 was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Wednesday, despite facing up to 40 years. Salvador Plasencia, 44, had pleaded guilty to illegally supplying the Friends star with ketamine before he was found dead in his hot tub by his assistant. Authorities ruled the “acute effects” of the potent dissociative drug as the primary factor in Perry’s death. Plasencia, who ran an urgent care clinic in Calabasas, California, is the first to be sentenced of the five people who pleaded guilty in the case surrounding Perry’s death. Court papers revealed that about a month before Perry’s death, Plasencia texted another doctor about what he should charge Perry for the drug, writing, “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” and “Let’s find out.” During the sentencing in court, Plasencia expressed regret for his actions, saying that he “failed” Perry and his family. “There is no excuse. I’m just so sorry,” he told Perry’s family in the front row. Plasencia’s sentence also included a $5,600 fine, a $400 special assessment and a requirement of two years of supervised release following his prison time.
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