Matthew Perry’s Doctor Pleads Guilty to Obtain a Reduced Sentence of 30 Months in Prison

Matthew Perry’s doctor was not acting in his best interests when he prescribed him ketamine, ultimately leading to the “Friends” star’s death.

On October 28, 2023, Perry was found by his live-in assistant, lifeless in a pool in his Los Angeles home. An autopsy report concluded the actor died from the “acute effects of ketamine,” which caused him to lose consciousness while in the water. The “Friends” star was 54 years old.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia had supplied ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks leading to his overdose death in 2023. Ketamine is a short-acting anesthetic that is sometimes prescribed to treat depression and other psychiatric disorders. However, it has also been abused as a party drug due to its hallucinogenic properties.

The doctor plead guilty in July 2025 to four counts of ketamine distribution, though his sentence wasn’t given until December 2025. He also surrendered his medical license. He admitted that in the weeks before Perry’s death, he had injected the actor with ketamine on multiple occasions at the actor’s home and once in the back seat of a parked car.

Prosecutor Yanniello noted that Plasencia had obtained $55,000 during his brief relationship with Perry. “He wasn’t a negligent medical provider,” said. “He was a drug dealer in a white coat.” In text messages, Plasencia had discussed Perry’s request for ketamine, saying, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.”

Dr. Plasencia was ultimately sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.

An individual may be charged with distributing an illicit drug if they sell illegal drugs. Doctors are normally permitted to prescribe drugs to patients based on medical need. The prescription is presumably made because the patient has a medical illness or bodily pain that can be treated by a doctor with medical knowledge of how to treat that particular condition. However, if the patient doesn’t need the drug, then the prescription may be for recreational use and would be illegal. Even worse, a person who is prescribed a drug that they don’t need may have their health impaired because of the prescription.

Dr. Plasencia notably plead guilty to four counts and surrendered his license to practice medicine. Why would any defendant plead guilty and end up going to prison for 30 months?

A criminal case, like a civil case, can be voluntarily settled without a jury trial. Like civil lawsuit settlements, a defendant making a plea deal is making a compromise. The prosecutors may agree to drop certain charges or reduce the defendant’s sentence in exchange for the defendant pleading guilty to certain charges and accepting that he or she will have to serve time and/or pay a fine.

For instance, the charges against Dr. Plasencia carried a potential maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison. By pleading guilty, Dr. Plasencia only has to serve 30 months in prison, or 2 and a half years. If Dr. Plasencia had contested the charges, it’s possible that he could have been found not guilty and spent no time in prison.

However, it was also possible that the jury would have found the doctor guilty, in which case the prosecution would have sought a sentence greater than 30 months. By pleading guilty, Dr. Plasencia spares Perry’s family and the state the burden of going through a protracted trial, and the doctor gets a guaranteed reduced sentence.

If you have sustained a personal injury through the unlawful act of another, you should contact a personal injury attorney. A skilled personal injury lawyer can review the facts of your case, go over your rights and options, and represent you in court.