A doctor who has long been cast in a suspicious light was accused of exploiting Matthew Perry’s well‑known battle with addiction and even asking a chilling question: “how much this moron will pay?” On Wednesday he was sentenced to jail for his involvement in the actor’s fatal overdose.
Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett of a federal court in Los Angeles imposed a 30‑month prison term on Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 43, for delivering ketamine to the actor during the month leading up to his 28 October 2023 death. Plasencia is the first of five men facing conviction in this case; the others, including the drug dealer known as “Ketamine Queen” Jasveen Sangha, have already struck plea deals.
After his license was revoked following the scandal, Plasencia entered a plea of guilty in July on four counts of distributing ketamine, with prosecutors agreeing to dismiss five additional charges. He didn’t give Perry the lethal dose himself, but he witnessed the actor’s heart stall and blood pressure spike after an earlier injection. Despite that dangerous sign, he let more drug be handed over to the actor’s assistant, who had no medical training.
On Tuesday, prosecutors forwarded statements from Perry’s mother, Suzanne, and step‑dad, Keith Morrison, labeling Plasencia “one of the most culpable of all.” In their reading, the doctor “conspired to break his most important vows, repeatedly, sneaking into the night to meet his victim in secret for what, a few thousand dollars? So he could feed on the vulnerability of our son … and crow, as he did so, with that revealing question: ‘I wonder how much this moron will pay. Let’s find out.’”
Perry’s biological father, John Perry, and step‑mom, Debbie, asked the judge for a harsh sentence, claiming the doctor “doesn’t deserve to hear our feelings” and that his actions “devastated our family” by contributing to the loss of their only son.
When Plasencia first learned Perry was searching for ketamine on 30 September 2023, the court documents alleged that, instead of acting in the patient’s best interests, the doctor sought to profit from the actor’s medical needs. He even told Dr. Mark Chavez, “I wonder how much this moron will pay” for the drug.
The lawyer for Plasencia, Karen Goldstein, pleaded for a light penalty. She noted that her client admitted he should not have provided the medication, had ignored clear signs of addiction, and that any remorse “cannot begin to capture the pain, regret and shame that Mr. Plasencia feels for the tragedy that unfolded and that he failed to prevent.”
Goldstein also argued that Plasencia has already suffered heavily: he lost his practice, license, reputation, and his family, including his wife and son, were forced to relocate to Arizona for safety after death threats. “Given the punishment Mr. Plasencia has already experienced, and will continue to experience for many years to come, a sentence of imprisonment is neither necessary nor warranted,” she wrote.
Perry had been using ketamine—primarily a surgical anesthetic—for off‑label treatment of depression, supplied by his regular doctor. He eventually became desperate for more and turned to Plasencia, who sold him 20 vials totaling 100 mg, in addition to lozenges and syringes, for a total cost of $4,500.
Another patient of Plasencia introduced the actor to “Ketamine Queen” Sangha, who supplied him with the fatal dose and is due to be sentenced next week. Sangha, 42, pleaded guilty in September to providing the lethal injection. Perry obtained 25 vials from her for $6,000 just four days before he died. That same day, Sangha told her associate Erik Fleming, themselves awaiting sentencing, that they should delete their messages—a last attempt to conceal the transaction.
Perry, noted worldwide for his role as Chandler Bing on the NBC hit “Friends” from 1994 to 2004, had struggled publicly with drug and alcohol addiction throughout his career. His co‑stars—Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer—remember him as one of the biggest television figures of his generation.
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