<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A doctor who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks before the </span><em><span>Friends</span></em><span> star's overdose death has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison in the US.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence plus two years of probation to 44-year-old Dr Salvador Plasencia in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Plasencia was the first to be sentenced of the five defendants who have pleaded guilty in connection with Perry's death at age 54 in 2023.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/jeffrey-epstein-private-island-photos-released-by-us-democrats/8d16588d-2e86-4ea9-94e0-0437fe1d8fe4" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Unseen images of Jeffrey Epstein's private island revealed</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Plasencia admitted to illegally selling large amounts of ketamine to Perry, though he did not supply the dose that authorities say killed the actor.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The doctor admitted to taking advantage of Perry, knowing he was a struggling addict. Plasencia texted another doctor that Perry was a "moron" who could be exploited for money, according to court filings.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Perry had been taking the surgical anesthetic ketamine legally as a treatment for depression. But when his regular doctor wouldn't provide it in the amounts he wanted, he turned to Plasencia.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/matthew-perry-doctor-who-sold-ketamine-to-friends-star-sentenced-to-prison-us/d8694fb4-5f32-42e0-9e10-a6c261115005" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>DONALD TRUMP:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/trump-said-he-was-sharper-than-i-was-25-years-ago-then-he-spent-an-hour-appearing-to-doze-off--again/6276d993-4dfc-40c1-940a-dbc6e8fefc65" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>He loves to hammer 'Sleepy Joe'. He's turning into 'Sleepy Don'</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Rather than do what was best for Mr Perry – someone who had struggled with addiction for most of his life – defendant sought to exploit Perry's medical vulnerability for profit," the prosecution's sentencing memo said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Plasencia's lawyers tried to give a sympathetic portrait of him in their memo, as a man who rose out of poverty to become a doctor beloved by his patients, some of whom provided testimonials about him for the court.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The attorneys called his selling to Perry "reckless" and "the biggest mistake of his life."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/social-media-ban-australia-meta-begins-locking-out-children/f1c32ba4-ded4-48f5-b751-c41bdcdb8ecf" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Meta begins locking out Australian children from social media accounts</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Remorse cannot begin to capture the pain, regret and shame that Mr Plasencia feels for the tragedy that unfolded and that he failed to prevent," the memo said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But, the lawyers wrote, "a sentence of imprisonment is neither necessary nor warranted. He has already lost his medical licence, his clinic, and his career. He has also been viciously attacked in the media and threatened by strangers to the point where his family has moved out of state for their safety."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Plasencia's lawyers said he has moved to Arizona with his wife and two-year-old son, for whom he is a loving caretaker.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I want him to be proud of his father," Plasencia said in a video he and his lawyers made for the judge.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I made mistakes, but I want him to know that I tried to make better choices after my mistakes."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Plasencia pleaded guilty in July to four counts of distribution of ketamine. Prosecutors agreed to drop five different counts.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Perry's mother Suzanne Perry and his stepfather, </span><em><span>Dateline</span></em><span> journalist Keith Morrison, attended the hearing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The other four defendants who reached deals to plead guilty will be sentenced at their own hearings in the coming months.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Perry died at age 54 after struggling with addiction for years, dating back to his time on </span><em><span>Friends</span></em><span>, when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as 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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple App Store</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>.</span></em></strong></div></div>