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A judge sentenced the doctor involved in the death of actor Matthew Perry to 30 months—about two and a half years—in federal prison.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia was immediately taken into custody after the sentencing hearing in a Los Angeles federal courthouse on Wednesday.
The ruling comes after Dr. Plasencia pleaded guilty back in July to four counts of illegally distributing ketamine.
Plasencia prescribed the drug that investigators later determined directly caused Perry’s accidental death in October 2023.
As many know, high levels of the anesthetic ketamine in Perry’s system led him to fall unconscious and drown in his hot tub.
In exchange for Plasencia’s guilty plea to the four counts, prosecutors agreed to drop five other charges, including more ketamine distribution offenses and two counts of falsifying medical records.
Federal prosecutors originally asked the judge for a longer sentence, specifically requesting 36 months for the doctor's role in the tragic incident.
However, Plasencia’s attorneys argued that the damage to his professional reputation and career should count as sufficient punishment.
Matthew Perry’s mother, Suzanne, and his stepfather, Keith Morrison, attended the emotional sentencing hearing.
They previously submitted a victim impact statement to the court, strongly condemning Dr. Plasencia. In the statement, the parents characterized the doctor as "greedy" for his reckless behavior.
Plasencia is the first person to receive a sentence in this high-profile case, but he is not the last.
Four other people also pleaded guilty and now await their own sentencing hearings in the coming weeks.
These co-defendants include Dr. Mark Chavez, Perry's live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, drug dealer Erik Fleming, and Jasveen Sangha.
The case confirms that multiple individuals faced serious legal consequences for the tragic death of the popular star.
