Doctor sentenced for supplying ketamine to Matthew Perry before his death

A former California physician has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for repeatedly supplying ketamine to actor Matthew Perry in the weeks before Perry’s fatal overdose, according to federal prosecutors.

The sentence was handed down on Wednesday in Los Angeles, where 44-year-old Salvador Plasencia was ordered into immediate federal custody, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Prosecutors said Plasencia, who went by “Dr. P,” also received a $5,600 fine. He pleaded guilty in July to four counts of distributing ketamine.

According to court documents, Plasencia was a licensed physician who owned Malibu Canyon Urgent Care LLC in Calabasas. Prosecutors said he knowingly sold ketamine to Perry despite the drug’s risks and despite knowing that Perry’s personal assistant, who had no medical training, was administering some of the injections.

Prosecutors said Plasencia first met Perry on September 30, 2023, after being told the actor was seeking ketamine treatments and willing to pay in cash.

In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said Plasencia texted a co-conspirator that same day, writing, “I wonder how much this moron will pay” and “let’s find out.”

Plasencia then purchased ketamine vials, syringes, and other supplies from Mark Chavez, a licensed San Diego physician, before traveling to Perry’s home in Los Angeles, where he administered the drug and left additional vials with Perry’s assistant, 60-year-old Kenneth Iwamasa, according to court records. Iwamasa paid Plasencia $4,500.

Over the next two weeks, Plasencia continued supplying ketamine to Perry, administering doses at his home and once in a parking lot in Long Beach.

Prosecutors said Perry experienced a spike in blood pressure during one treatment, but Plasencia continued leaving vials with Iwamasa knowing they would be used without medical oversight.

Between September 30 and October 12, 2023, Plasencia distributed 20 ketamine vials and tablets to Perry and Iwamasa, charging $57,000 for supplies that typically cost about $15 per vial, according to prosecutors. He later ordered 10 more vials using his DEA license and messaged Iwamasa on October 27 that he had been “stocking up.”

Perry died the following day from a ketamine overdose, according to investigators. Prosecutors said Plasencia did not provide the ketamine that caused Perry’s death but stressed that he continued distributing the drug despite knowing the risks and the lack of supervision.

After Perry’s death, prosecutors said Plasencia attempted to cover up the illegal sales by falsifying treatment notes and an invoice in response to a DEA subpoena, including a false claim that Perry missed an appointment on October 7. In reality, Plasencia had met Iwamasa at a Santa Monica street corner near midnight to sell him more ketamine, according to court filings.

Chavez and Iwamasa pleaded guilty last year and are scheduled for sentencing on December 17, 2025, and January 14, 2026. Two additional defendants, Erik Fleming of Hawthorne and Jasveen Sangha of North Hollywood, also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced early next year.

Matthew Perry was best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the television series Friends, a part that made him one of the most recognizable actors of his generation. Perry had spoken openly about his long struggle with addiction in interviews and in his memoir, describing repeated attempts at recovery throughout his career.