What sentence did the doctor charged in Matthew Perry's death investigation face? Physician punished for supplying illicit ketamine as grieving family calls him "most culpable"

The California doctor who supplied ketamine to Matthew Perry has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. Dr. Salvador Plasencia is the first person to receive a sentence in relation to the case of the Friends star's overdose death in October 2023.

Plasencia was the doctor who supplied a lethal dose of ketamine to the actor in the weeks before he was found unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his home in Los Angeles.

Judge Sherilyn Peace Granett handed down Plasencia's sentence on Wednesday - December 3, 2025.

While the former doctor faced a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each of the four counts of distribution of ketamine, Garnett sentenced Plasencia to 30 months in federal prison for each count.

It will run concurrently and he has also been sentenced to two years of supervised release and a $5,600 fine. 

The Judge rejected the doctor's initial defense argument that he was supplying the drug to Perry to treat his depression.

However, the judge highlighted that he did not give the fatal dose of ketamine to the actor, only that his action led to Perry's ultimate demise. 

"I failed to protect a mother's son": Salvador Placensia apologizes to Matthew Perry's family ahead of sentencing

Before his sentence was read on December 3, Salvador Plasencia spoke in court and addressed Friends star Matthew Perry's family.

He turned to the late actor's family and expressed remorse for his role in Perry's tragic end and said that he was "just so sorry."

He admitted that there was no excuse for what he did and he "can't undo what's been done."

He added, per The Independent:

"I failed to protect a mother's son. I failed Mr. Perry, I failed his family, and I failed myself."

He also reportedly wiped down his brow throughout the speech, telling the court how he would have to explain to his young son what he did and his part in Matthew Perry's demise.

Plasencia said that he has a two-year-old son and he wants to raise him right.

ABC News also reported Plasencia's reaction to the sentencing. His attorneys reportedly said that the doctor accepts the sentence "with humility and deep remorse.

But he maintained the argument that while he "made serious mistakes," he was "not a villain."

His attorneys also shared in a statement, per ABC, that the doctor is hoping that his "painful experience" can help other doctors avoid similar mistakes and prevent other families from enduring the same tragic fate.

Plasencia had already surrendered his medical license and has given up his clinic when he was arrested. 

Salvador Plasencia is one of the two doctors charged in Matthew Perry's overdose death case.

He, along with the others who were charged in the case, including an assistant and two people who supplied him with ketamine, are set to be sentenced in the coming months.