A doctor who admitted to providing ketamine to actor Matthew Perry shortly before his death was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison on Wednesday. Salvador Plasencia, 44, is the first of five people convicted in connection with Perry’s 2023 overdose to be sentenced. Perry, 54, was found unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home in October 2023, and an autopsy confirmed his death was caused by acute ketamine toxicity.
Plasencia, who ran an urgent care clinic in Calabasas, pleaded guilty in July to four counts of distributing ketamine. He did not administer the fatal dose but provided the actor and Perry’s assistant with vials, lozenges, and syringes. In court, Plasencia expressed remorse, saying, “I should have protected him” and accepting responsibility for his role. The judge sentenced him to 30 months in prison, two years of supervised release, and a $5,600 fine, noting that while Plasencia did not give the fatal dose, his actions contributed to Perry’s death.
Prosecutors described Plasencia as exploiting Perry’s vulnerability for profit, citing texts in which he discussed how much Perry would pay for ketamine. Perry’s family addressed the court, emphasizing the betrayal and harm caused. Plasencia’s attorneys said he acted with poor judgment but was not a villain, hoping the case serves as a lesson for other doctors.
Plasencia provided ketamine to Perry and his assistant from September 30 to October 12, 2023. Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, administered the drug on the day of Perry’s death and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. Another doctor, Mark Chavez, sold ketamine to Plasencia and pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Two other defendants, Erik Fleming and Jasveen Sangha, distributed the ketamine that directly caused Perry’s overdose; both have pleaded guilty and face upcoming sentencing.
All five defendants have surrendered their medical licenses. The case highlights the dangers of unregulated ketamine use and the legal consequences for those who provide it outside proper medical supervision.
