California Doctor Sentenced To 30 Months Over Actor Matthew Perry’s Fatal Overdose

A California physician, who supplied ketamine to ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry, has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, becoming the first defendant to receive jail term in connection with the actor’s 2023 death linked to overdose.

Perry was a Canadian-American actor, best known for playing Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom ‘Friends’, and was candid over decades about his battles with substance abuse. His death drew renewed attention to ketamine misuse in Hollywood and the stark vulnerabilities faced by people in recovery.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia, one of five people charged following a multiyear federal investigation into an underground ketamine network in Hollywood, pleaded guilty earlier this year to four counts of distributing ketamine. The charges carried a maximum of 40 years in prison, though prosecutors requested a three-year term.

Perry, 54, was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home after decades of battling depression and addiction. His family urged the court to impose a lengthy sentence, calling Plasencia “most culpable” and expressing anguish over why a doctor continued supplying him with drugs.

“Matthew’s recovery counted on you saying NO,” his father, John, and stepmother, Debbie, wrote in an emotional victim impact statement. “Your motives? I can’t imagine. A doctor whose life is devoted to helping people?”

They said the loss “devastated” their family, noting the “next patriarch” was now gone. Perry’s mother and stepfather described Plasencia as a “jackal” who repeatedly violated his medical oath.

In their letter, Suzanne and Keith Morrison referenced text messages contained in court filings, in which Plasencia allegedly called Perry a “moron” and speculated about how much money he might pay for drugs.

“Sometimes it’s a little easier to understand when a person commits a terrible crime. But… a doctor? Who trades on respect, and trust?” they wrote, adding that the actor had been working toward recovery and “wanted, needed, deserved… a third act. It was… in the planning. And then, those jackals.”

In a letter to the judge, Plasencia expressed remorse.

“I did not set out to harm anyone, but my decisions during those days betrayed my duty as a physician,” he wrote. “I crossed lines that no doctor should ever cross… it was my own poor judgment and it was wrong.”

He said his medical practice was struggling, and despite recognizing Perry’s “signs of addiction,” the offer of “large sums of money was appealing.” Plasencia said he surrendered his medical license after his arrest and closed his clinic, adding that he would “accept whatever sentence this Court deems appropriate.”

According to federal filings, Plasencia also known as “Dr. P”, injected Perry with ketamine at his home and in the parking lot of an aquarium in Long Beach, about 25 miles from Los Angeles.

He also taught Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, how to administer ketamine and sold them additional vials and syringes. Court records show that from 30 September to 12 October 2023, he sold Perry and Iwamasa twenty 5ml vials of ketamine, along with ketamine lozenges.

Prosecutors argued that Plasencia and the others charged “took advantage of Mr Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves.”

Four others, including another doctor, his assistant, and two people accused of supplying the lethal dose, have also pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced in the coming months.

Perry had been receiving legally prescribed ketamine for depression but increasingly sought larger quantities. Investigators said he turned to multiple providers, including a woman described by prosecutors as the “Ketamine Queen,” who allegedly operated a large-scale drug distribution center from her Los Angeles home.

The case has cast a spotlight on what investigators called Hollywood’s ketamine “wild west,” highlighting gaps in oversight even as the drug gains popularity for treating depression.

California Doctor Sentenced To 30 Months Over Actor Matthew Perry’s Fatal Overdose

By Leah Ndagi

A California physician, who supplied ketamine to ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry, has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, becoming the first defendant to receive jail term in connection with the actor’s 2023 death linked to overdose.

Perry was a Canadian-American actor, best known for playing Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom ‘Friends’, and was candid over decades about his battles with substance abuse. His death drew renewed attention to ketamine misuse in Hollywood and the stark vulnerabilities faced by people in recovery.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia, one of five people charged following a multiyear federal investigation into an underground ketamine network in Hollywood, pleaded guilty earlier this year to four counts of distributing ketamine. The charges carried a maximum of 40 years in prison, though prosecutors requested a three-year term.

Perry, 54, was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home after decades of battling depression and addiction. His family urged the court to impose a lengthy sentence, calling Plasencia “most culpable” and expressing anguish over why a doctor continued supplying him with drugs.

“Matthew’s recovery counted on you saying NO,” his father, John, and stepmother, Debbie, wrote in an emotional victim impact statement. “Your motives? I can’t imagine. A doctor whose life is devoted to helping people?”

They said the loss “devastated” their family, noting the “next patriarch” was now gone. Perry’s mother and stepfather described Plasencia as a “jackal” who repeatedly violated his medical oath.

In their letter, Suzanne and Keith Morrison referenced text messages contained in court filings, in which Plasencia allegedly called Perry a “moron” and speculated about how much money he might pay for drugs.

“Sometimes it’s a little easier to understand when a person commits a terrible crime. But… a doctor? Who trades on respect, and trust?” they wrote, adding that the actor had been working toward recovery and “wanted, needed, deserved… a third act. It was… in the planning. And then, those jackals.”

In a letter to the judge, Plasencia expressed remorse.

“I did not set out to harm anyone, but my decisions during those days betrayed my duty as a physician,” he wrote. “I crossed lines that no doctor should ever cross… it was my own poor judgment and it was wrong.”

He said his medical practice was struggling, and despite recognizing Perry’s “signs of addiction,” the offer of “large sums of money was appealing.” Plasencia said he surrendered his medical license after his arrest and closed his clinic, adding that he would “accept whatever sentence this Court deems appropriate.”

According to federal filings, Plasencia also known as “Dr. P”, injected Perry with ketamine at his home and in the parking lot of an aquarium in Long Beach, about 25 miles from Los Angeles.

He also taught Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, how to administer ketamine and sold them additional vials and syringes. Court records show that from 30 September to 12 October 2023, he sold Perry and Iwamasa twenty 5ml vials of ketamine, along with ketamine lozenges.

Prosecutors argued that Plasencia and the others charged “took advantage of Mr Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves.”

Four others, including another doctor, his assistant, and two people accused of supplying the lethal dose, have also pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced in the coming months.

Perry had been receiving legally prescribed ketamine for depression but increasingly sought larger quantities. Investigators said he turned to multiple providers, including a woman described by prosecutors as the “Ketamine Queen,” who allegedly operated a large-scale drug distribution center from her Los Angeles home.

The case has cast a spotlight on what investigators called Hollywood’s ketamine “wild west,” highlighting gaps in oversight even as the drug gains popularity for treating depression.