Salvador Plasencia, a doctor who admitted to providing ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks leading up to the actor’s death, is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday. Plasencia is the first of five individuals convicted in connection with the 2023 fatal overdose of the “Friends” star, reports Baltimore Chronicle.
In July, Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine. He is one of two physicians found responsible for supplying the actor with the drug prior to his death in October 2023, when Perry, 54, was found unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home. An autopsy later confirmed acute ketamine toxicity as the primary cause of death.
Plasencia, who operated an urgent care clinic in Malibu, had originally been scheduled for trial in August 2025 before reaching a plea agreement. Each count carries a maximum federal sentence of ten years. His sentencing is set for 11 a.m. local time at the Los Angeles federal courthouse.
Federal prosecutors recommended a 36-month sentence, arguing Plasencia exploited Perry’s medical vulnerabilities for profit. Court filings included text messages in which Plasencia discussed how much Perry would pay for ketamine.
Defense attorneys asked the court for time served and three years of supervised release, citing the personal and professional consequences Plasencia has already endured. They emphasized that he lost his medical license, clinic, and career, and that threats and media scrutiny forced his family to relocate for safety.
Plasencia’s attorneys stressed that his treatment of Perry occurred over a short thirteen-day period in the context of physician-patient care for depression. They noted that while serious errors were made, Plasencia was not administering the dose that caused Perry’s fatal overdose on October 28, 2023.
According to the plea agreement, Plasencia distributed twenty vials of ketamine, ketamine lozenges, and syringes to Perry and his live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, between September 30 and October 12, 2023. The doctor acknowledged his actions fell below the standard of care and that the transfers of ketamine were not for legitimate medical purposes.
Iwamasa, who admitted in court documents to administering the ketamine on the day Perry died, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. Another doctor, Mark Chavez, and two dealers, Erik Fleming and Jasveen Sangha, also pleaded guilty to supplying the drugs that led to Perry’s overdose.
Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry at his home on multiple occasions and left additional supplies with Iwamasa for later use. In one instance, he provided a treatment in a public parking lot, which Chavez later criticized. Plasencia continued supplying ketamine even after observing adverse reactions, demonstrating disregard for his professional duties.
Following their convictions, both Plasencia and Chavez surrendered their medical licenses. Chavez is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17, 2025, while Iwamasa faces sentencing on January 14, 2026. Fleming and Sangha, who directly supplied the fatal doses, are set for sentencing in January and February 2026, respectively.
The case highlights the dangers of medical negligence and illegal drug distribution, as well as the consequences for those who exploit patients’ vulnerabilities for financial gain.
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