By FRED SHUSTER
One of two physicians charged in “Friends” star Matthew Perry’s death from a ketamine overdose is expected to be sentenced Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles on federal charges of illegal distribution of the surgical anesthetic.
Salvador Plasencia, 43, of Santa Monica, pleaded guilty in July to four federal counts of distribution of ketamine, which is used as a therapy for depression, but also as a so-called party drug.
The disgraced doctor faces up to 40 years in prison, although he is not expected to receive such a lengthy sentence, and a fine of at least $2 million, according to his plea agreement.
Five defendants were charged in Perry’s death and subsequently pleaded guilty. The lead defendant, Jasveen Sangha — dubbed the “Ketamine Queen” — will face up to 65 years in federal prison when she is sentenced Feb. 25.
One of Plasencia’s attorneys, Karen Goldstein, said in a statement after he pleaded guilty that her client regretted his actions regarding Perry.
“Dr. Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry,” the attorney said. “He is fully accepting responsibility by pleading guilty to drug distribution. Dr. Plasencia intends to voluntarily surrender his medical license, acknowledging his failure to protect Mr. Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction.”
Goldstein said that while Plasencia was not treating Perry at the time of the actor’s death, “he hopes his case serves as a warning to other medical professionals and leads to stricter oversight and clear protocols for the rapidly growing at-home ketamine industry in order to prevent future tragedies like this.”
According to federal prosecutors, in late September 2023, Plasencia learned that Perry, whose history of drug addiction was well documented, was interested in obtaining ketamine. Ketamine is a general anesthetic whose medical risks require a health care professional to monitor a patient being administered the drug.
After learning about Perry’s interest in ketamine, Plasencia contacted Dr. Mark Chavez — who previously operated a San Diego-area ketamine clinic — to obtain ketamine to sell to Perry, prosecutors said.
In text messages to Chavez, Plasencia discussed how much to charge Perry for the ketamine, stating, “I wonder how much this moron will pay” and “Let’s find out,” according to prosecutors.
During September and October of 2023, Plasencia distributed ketamine to Perry and Kenneth Iwamasa — the actor’s live-in assistant — “outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose” on at least seven occasions, the indictment states.
The indictment also says that Plasencia conspired with Chavez about inventory, price and availability of ketamine to sell to Perry and Iwamasa. Chavez, in turn, sold Plasencia orally administered ketamine lozenges that he obtained after writing a fraudulent prescription in a patient’s name without her knowledge or consent, and lied to wholesale ketamine distributors to buy additional vials of liquid ketamine that Chavez intended to sell to Plasencia for distribution to Perry, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Perry was paying $2,000 per vial of ketamine, while his dealers were paying $12 for each vial.
Perry detailed his years-long struggle with addiction in the 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.” The “Friends” star, who played the character Chandler Bing in the series from 1994 to 2004, says he went through detox dozens of times.
Perry was found dead Oct. 28. 2023, in a hot tub behind his Pacific Palisades home of a fatal ketamine overdose. He was 54. The five defendants were charged in August 2024 in connection with the death.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, using Plasencia-provided instructions and syringes, Iwamasa injected Perry with the ketamine that was sold to him by accused dealers Erik Fleming and Sangha, including multiple injections on the day of the actor’s death.
Plasencia sold the ketamine to Iwamasa despite being informed at least one week earlier that Perry’s ketamine addiction was spiraling out of control, according to federal prosecutors.
Chavez, 55, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, and faces up to 10 years in federal prison at his sentencing hearing on Dec. 17.
Fleming, 55, of Hawthorne, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 7, at which time he will face up to 25 years in federal prison.
Iwamasa, 60, of Toluca Lake, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14, at which time he will face up to 15 years in federal prison.
Sangha, 42, of North Hollywood, pleaded guilty in September 2025 to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.