Santa Monica doctor sentenced to more than 2 years in prison in connection with Matthew Perry’s death

A former Santa Monica physician was sentenced Tuesday to 30 months in federal prison for repeatedly selling ketamine to actor Matthew Perry despite knowing about Perry's well-documented history of drug addiction.
Salvador Plasencia, 44, known as "Dr. P," received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett, who also fined him $5,600 and ordered him immediately remanded to federal custody.
Plasencia pleaded guilty in July to four counts of distribution of ketamine. He surrendered his California medical license in September.
Plasencia owned and operated Malibu Canyon Urgent Care LLC, a Calabasas-based urgent-care clinic. As a licensed medical doctor, he knew ketamine was a controlled substance and anesthetic used without Food and Drug Administration approval to treat depression and other psychiatric conditions.
According to court documents, Plasencia understood the potential risks associated with ketamine, including sedation, psychiatric events, and abuse by patients. His own treatment notes reflected his belief that patients "should be monitored by [a] physician when undergoing treatment as a safety Measure."
Perry had been using ketamine through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression, which has become increasingly common. He began seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him.
The actor struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on "Friends," when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation playing Chandler Bing. He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC's megahit sitcom.
On Sept. 30, 2023, one of Plasencia's patients introduced him to Perry, describing the actor as a "high profile person" seeking ketamine who was willing to pay "cash and lots of thousands" for treatment, according to the plea agreement.
"Rather than do what was best for Mr. Perry – someone who had struggled with addiction for most of his life – [Plasencia] sought to exploit Perry's medical vulnerability for profit," prosecutors argued in their sentencing memorandum. "Indeed, the day [Plasencia] met Perry he made his profit motive known, telling a co-conspirator: 'I wonder how much this moron will pay' and 'let's find out.'"
That same day, Plasencia contacted Mark Chavez, 55, then a licensed San Diego physician. Plasencia drove to Costa Mesa and purchased $795 in ketamine vials and tablets, syringes and gloves from Chavez. He then drove to Perry's Los Angeles home, injected Perry with ketamine and left at least one vial with Kenneth Iwamasa, 60, of Toluca Lake, Perry's personal assistant. Iwamasa paid Plasencia $4,500.
Over the following weeks, Plasencia repeatedly purchased ketamine from Chavez and administered the drug to Perry multiple times at Perry's home and once in a Long Beach parking lot while in the backseat of Perry's vehicle.
During one treatment at Perry's home, Perry's blood pressure spiked, causing him to freeze up. Despite this adverse reaction, Plasencia left additional vials of ketamine with Iwamasa, knowing the assistant would inject the drug into Perry without medical supervision.
Between Sept. 30 and Oct. 12, 2023, Plasencia distributed 20 vials and multiple tablets of ketamine and syringes to Iwamasa and Perry. Prosecutors said he charged a total of $57,000 for these efforts, even though the going price of ketamine was only approximately $15 per vial.
Court documents show Plasencia knew his conduct fell below the proper standard of medical care and that the ketamine transfers were not for a legitimate medical purpose.
On Oct. 27, 2023, after ordering 10 vials of ketamine through a licensed pharmaceutical company using his Drug Enforcement Administration license, Plasencia texted Iwamasa: "I know you mentioned taking a break. I have been stocking up on the meanwhile. I am not sure when you guys plan to resume but in case its when im out of town this weekend I have left supplies with a nurse of mine ...I can always let her know the plan."
Perry fatally overdosed on ketamine the following day, Oct. 28, 2023. The medical examiner ruled ketamine was the primary cause of death although Plasencia did not provide the ketamine that caused Perry's death.
After Perry's overdose, Plasencia falsified treatment notes and an invoice in response to a DEA subpoena. Prosecutors said these documents were designed to cover up his illegal sales of ketamine to Iwamasa.
The fraudulent notes claimed that on Oct. 7, 2024, Perry was "scheduled to meet for a treatment session but was not present." In reality, Plasencia was scheduled to meet only with Iwamasa that day at midnight at a public street corner outside a Santa Monica bar to sell him vials of ketamine.
In exchange for his guilty pleas, prosecutors dropped three additional counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of falsifying records.
Chavez and Iwamasa pleaded guilty last year to federal drug charges. Chavez is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 17, and Iwamasa on Jan. 14, 2026.
Two other defendants charged in connection with Perry's death also pleaded guilty and await sentencing. Erik Fleming, 56, of Hawthorne, is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 7, 2026.
The only remaining defendant who has not reached an agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office is Jasveen Sangha, 42, of North Hollywood, known as the "Ketamine Queen." Prosecutors allege she is a drug dealer who sold Perry the lethal dose. Her trial is scheduled to begin next month. She has pleaded not guilty.