Salvador Plasencia, the doctor who supplied ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks leading up to the actor’s overdose death, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. The former physician appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom on December 3, where prosecutors and family members addressed his role in the case.
Salvador Plasencia sentenced to 30 months in jail
On December 3, 2025, a federal judge sentenced former Santa Monica physician Salvador Plasencia to 30 months in prison for distributing ketamine to actor Matthew Perry before his overdose death in October 2023, according to official reports from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Variety.
Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett imposed the sentence in a Los Angeles federal court, also ordering Plasencia to pay a $5,600 fine and remanding him immediately into custody. Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of ketamine distribution in July 2025 and surrendered his medical license that September.
According to court documents, Plasencia ran Malibu Canyon Urgent Care LLC in Calabasas. He knowingly supplied ketamine to Perry despite being aware of the actor’s addiction history. On September 30, 2023, a patient introduced him to Perry. Plasencia expressed intent to profit, texting a co-conspirator, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.” That day, he bought ketamine from Dr. Mark Chavez for $795. He injected Perry at his Los Angeles home and left vials with Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, for $4,500.
Between September 30 and October 12, 2023, Plasencia provided 20 vials of ketamine, tablets, and syringes to Perry and Iwamasa. He charged a total of $57,000. Despite seeing adverse reactions in Perry, he continued supplying the drug. He later ordered 10 more vials using his DEA license. On October 27, 2023, he texted Iwamasa, saying he left supplies with a nurse. Perry died of a ketamine overdose the next day. Plasencia did not supply the fatal dose.
After Perry’s death, Plasencia submitted falsified treatment notes and invoices to the DEA. Prosecutor Ian Yanniello stated, “He was a drug dealer in a white coat.” Judge Garnett said Plasencia aimed “to exploit Mr. Perry’s addiction for your own profit.” Four other co-defendants, including Chavez and Iwamasa, have also pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
