A doctor who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to Matthew Perry weeks before the “Friends” star died of an overdose was sentenced Wednesday to 2 1/2 years in prison.
Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett sentenced Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 44, to prison and two years of probation in federal court in Los Angeles.
The judge stressed that Mr. Placencia did not provide the ketamine that killed Mr. Perry, saying, “By continuing to feed his ketamine addiction, you and others helped set Mr. Perry on a path that led to such an outcome.”
“You took advantage of Mr. Perry's addiction for your own benefit,” she said.
Plasencia was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs as her mother cried loudly in the audience. He may have arranged a date to turn himself in, but his lawyers said he was prepared to turn himself in today.
Perry's mother and two half-sisters gave tearful victim impact statements before sentencing.
“The world is mourning my brother,” said Madeline Morrison. “He was everyone's favorite friend.”
“My world changed forever with my brother's death,” Morrison said, crying. “It has had a huge impact on my life. His absence is everywhere.”
Plasencia was the first of five defendants to be sentenced in connection with Perry, who died in 2023 at age 54.
The doctor admitted that he took advantage of Perry, knowing that he was struggling with addiction. According to court filings, Plasencia texted another doctor that Perry was a “dumbass” who could be exploited for money.
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The prosecution asked for a three-year sentence, but the defense asked for one day in prison and a suspended sentence.
Perry's mother spoke about what he has overcome in life and the strength he has shown.
“We thought he wasn't going to die,” Suzanne Perry said, standing on stage with her husband, Dateline journalist Keith Morrison.
“You called him 'stupid,'” she said. “There's nothing stupid about that guy. He was a successful drug addict.”
She spoke eloquently, apologized for her ramblings, and at the end, through tears, said, “This was a bad thing for you to do!” While she was crying.
Before the sentencing, Plasencia also told her now 2-year-old son, “I cried as I imagined the day when I would have to tell the story of the time I couldn't protect another mother's son. It hurt me so much. I can't believe he's here.”
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He apologized directly to Perry's family. “I should have protected him,” he said.
Perry was legally taking the surgical anesthetic ketamine as a treatment for depression. However, when his doctor wouldn't give him the amount he wanted, he consulted Mr. Placencia, who admitted that he had illegally sold the drugs to Mr. Perry and that he was aware that Mr. Perry was a struggling addict.
Mr. Placencia's lawyers sought to paint a sympathetic picture of him as someone who rose from poverty to become a doctor beloved by his patients, and some provided testimony about him in court.
Lawyers said the sale to Mr Perry was “reckless” and the “biggest mistake of my life”.
Placencia pleaded guilty in July to four counts of distributing ketamine. Prosecutors agreed to drop five different counts. There is no sentencing guarantee in the agreement, and Garnett can legally impose up to 40 years in prison.
The other four defendants who have reached agreements to plead guilty are expected to be sentenced at their own hearings in the coming months.
Perry, who dates back to his Friends days when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing, died in 2023 at the age of 54 after battling addiction for years. He co-starred with Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer on the NBC megahit for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004.
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