LOS ANGELES, California — A U.S. federal decide has sentenced Dr. Salvador Plasencia to 2.5 years in jail for illegally supplying ketamine to late actor Matthew Perry, whose dying shocked followers worldwide.
Plasencia, 54, was additionally ordered to serve two years of supervised launch and pay a US$5,600 fantastic following his conviction on 4 felony counts of ketamine distribution. Prosecutors stated the physician equipped the drug to Perry within the weeks earlier than the actor’s deadly overdose on October 28, 2023.
Authorities say Perry, famed for his position as Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom “Pals,” had turned to Plasencia after his common doctor refused to supply extra ketamine. Court docket paperwork point out that the physician equipped a number of doses at Perry’s residence and even in a parked automotive, contributing to the actor’s substance dependency.
In keeping with prosecutors, Plasencia’s conduct was reckless, regardless that he didn’t instantly administer the deadly dose. Textual content messages submitted in court docket confirmed the physician disparaging Perry and referring to him as a “moron” who might be exploited.
The sentencing adopted Plasencia’s responsible plea in July 2025. Prosecutors had initially sought a three-year jail time period, whereas a trial might have resulted in a sentence of as much as 40 years.
The decide famous that whereas Plasencia didn’t instantly trigger Perry’s dying, he “helped Mr. Perry keep on the street to such an ending” by supplying the highly effective anesthetic.
Perry, 54, was discovered unresponsive in his Los Angeles residence. The health worker dominated that his dying was as a result of acute results of ketamine, resulting in lack of consciousness and drowning.
The case has sparked renewed dialogue concerning the unlawful distribution of managed substances and the position of medical professionals in substance abuse deaths.
