Matthew Perry, doctor who sold ketamine, sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison
Dr. Salvador Plasencia, the doctor who provided Matthew Perry with ketamine before he overdosed in 2023, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
A Los Angeles doctor who supplied “Friends” actor Matthew Perry with ketamine before he died of an overdose in 2023 has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia, a doctor who surrendered his medical license, pleaded guilty in July to four counts of illegally distributing the prescription anesthetic ketamine in connection with the actor’s death at 54. The former owner of an urgent care clinic in Calabasas, California, is one of five people to plead guilty in the case, but the first to be sentenced.
As the verdict was read in Los Angeles federal court, Plasencia said there was no excuse and told Perry’s family to their faces that she was “truly sorry,” according to The New York Times and Variety.
In a statement to USA TODAY after the Dec. 3 verdict, Placencia’s attorneys said their client accepted the sentence with “humility and deep remorse.”
Dr. Matthew Perry Ketamine is ‘not a bad person,’ says Dr. Placencia’s attorney.
“The mistakes he made during the 13 days he treated Mr. Perry will remain with him forever,” the statement continued. “Mr. Placencia has voluntarily surrendered his medical license and will continue to serve his community in other meaningful ways. We hope this painful experience will help other doctors avoid similar mistakes and prevent other families from suffering tragedies like this one.”
The statement called Mr. Placencia “a compassionate, caring and honest physician whose practice filled a void in the community that needed him.”
Plasencia’s lawyer said, “He was a good doctor who was loved by the people he treated. He is not a bad person.” “He is the person who made serious errors in treatment decisions involving the off-label use of ketamine, which is commonly used for depression for which there is no uniform standard.”
Matthew Perry’s mother addresses Dr. Placencia in court
According to the NYT and Variety, Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, spoke to Plasencia in court and asked him if he had any children, to which he nodded. “This is my son!” Mr. Morrison said. “Despite being called ‘stupid,’ there is nothing stupid about this man. He even knew how to be a successful drug dealer.”
“I want you to meet his mother,” she told Plasencia. “This was a bad thing you did.”
Perry’s half-sister Madeline Morrison accused Plasencia of exploiting Perry’s greatest fears and greatest weaknesses, saying, “Celebrities aren’t just plastic dolls that can be exploited. They’re human beings.”
When and how did Matthew Perry die?
Perry died on October 28, 2023, after being found face down and unresponsive on the “warm side” of his Pacific Palisades pool, according to an autopsy.
The actor known for his breakthrough role as Chandler Bing on the classic sitcom died from “acute effects of ketamine,” the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office confirmed.
The coroner’s office said in a statement that his cause of death was an accident and that contributing factors included “drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine.”
Five people plead guilty in Matthew Perry’s death
Other defendants in Perry’s case include Jasveen Sangha, whom prosecutors have dubbed North Hollywood’s “queen of ketamine,” who they allege provided Perry with the ketamine that killed him. She has previously pleaded not guilty to all charges against her, and Geragos maintained her innocence in a Peacock documentary special released in February.
She is scheduled to be sentenced next week on December 10th and could face up to 65 years in prison.
Eric Fleming, the film producer who said he distributed Sangha’s ketamine that killed Perry, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution of ketamine causing death.
He is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on January 7 and could face up to 25 years in prison.
Prosecutors say Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, purchased at least $55,000 worth of ketamine for Perry. The 60-year-old agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 14.
Prosecutors say he could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.
Dr. Mark Chavez pleaded guilty in October to one count of conspiracy to distribute the dissociative anesthetic ketamine.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17th and could face up to 10 years in prison.
Contributor: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY
