A California physician has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for his role in providing ketamine to beloved actor Matthew Perry, marking the first sentencing in the star’s overdose death. Dr. Salvador Plasencia received the federal prison term in Los Angeles, becoming the initial individual to face legal consequences stemming from the ongoing investigation into an illicit drug network.
Perry, widely known for his role as Chandler Bing on ‘Friends,’ was discovered deceased at his Los Angeles residence in 2023 at the age of 54. His passing was attributed to the acute effects of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic. The sentencing of Dr. Plasencia is part of a broader, multiyear federal probe into how Perry obtained the substance through an underground distribution ring operating within Hollywood.
During impassioned statements in court, members of Perry’s family, including his mother, Suzanne Morrison, addressed the judge directly, advocating for a significant sentence for Plasencia, whom they considered the ‘most culpable.’ Ms. Morrison tearfully recounted text messages included in court records, where Plasencia allegedly referred to Perry as a ‘moron’ and discussed potential payments for the drugs. “There was nothing moronic about that man,” she asserted, reminding the doctor of his oath to protect patients.
Perry’s father, John, and stepmother, Debbie, in their victim impact statement, expressed profound grief, writing, “Matthew’s recovery counted on you saying NO.” They described Plasencia as a doctor whose life should have been devoted to helping people, not supplying drugs. Similarly, his mother and stepfather, Suzanne and Keith Morrison, labeled the doctor a ‘jackal’ who repeatedly violated his Hippocratic oath, lamenting that Matthew’s hopes for an acting comeback and a ‘third act’ were tragically cut short.
Facing the court and Perry’s family, Plasencia conveyed deep regret and remorse for his actions, offering an apology while his own mother was present. Citing his two-year-old son, he stated, “I want to raise him right. I also think about how to explain this to him.” He added, “I failed myself. There is no excuse. I can’t undo what’s been done. I know that. I should have protected him, as his mother said. I’m just so sorry.”
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett ordered the Santa Monica-based physician to pay a $5,600 fine. Plasencia was immediately taken into federal custody following the sentencing. He had previously pleaded guilty over the summer to four counts of distributing ketamine, charges that carried a potential maximum sentence of 40 years. Prosecutors had sought a three-year sentence.
Millenium TV has learned that four other individuals implicated in the case—including another doctor, his assistant, and the two suppliers of the specific ketamine dose that proved fatal—have also entered guilty pleas and are awaiting their respective sentences in the coming months. Perry had been open for years about his personal struggles with depression and drug addiction.
In a letter to the judge last month, Plasencia expressed responsibility for his role in Perry’s death, explaining that his medical clinic was experiencing financial difficulties. He admitted that despite recognizing “signs of addiction” in Perry, the allure of “large sums of money was appealing.” Plasencia also confirmed that he voluntarily surrendered his medical license upon arrest, effectively ending his medical practice.
Ketamine, a drug with hallucinogenic properties, is strictly intended for administration by a physician. While Perry was initially prescribed legal amounts of the drug to manage his depression, he subsequently sought to acquire more than what was legitimately provided. Details emerging from the federal investigation indicate this pursuit led him to multiple doctors and a central figure prosecutors referred to as the “Ketamine Queen,” who allegedly supplied substantial quantities of various drugs from her Los Angeles residence, described as a “drug-selling emporium.”
Prosecutors revealed that Plasencia, also known as “Dr. P,” personally administered ketamine injections to Perry both at his home and in a Long Beach aquarium parking lot. Furthermore, court documents from the plea agreement indicate that Plasencia instructed Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who also pleaded guilty, on how to administer the drug and sold additional vials for them to keep at the actor’s home. Between September 30 and October 12, 2023, Plasencia sold twenty 5ml vials of ketamine, ketamine lozenges, and syringes to Perry and his assistant. Prosecutors have stated that Plasencia and others involved in the case “took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves.”
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