Dr. Salvador Plasencia arrives at federal court for sentencing after pleading guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine to actor Matthew Perry before his death, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., December 3, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake
Dr. Salvador Plasencia arrives at federal court for sentencing after pleading guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine to actor Matthew Perry before his death, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., December 3, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake

LOS ANGELES, Dec 3 (Reuters) - A California doctor was sentenced to 2-1/2 years in prison on Wednesday for illegally supplying "Friends" sitcom star Matthew Perry with ketamine, the powerful sedative that caused the actor's drug overdose death in 2023.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who operated an urgent-care clinic outside Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in federal court in July to four felony counts of illegal distribution of the prescription anesthetic. He could have faced up to 40 years in prison had he been convicted at trial.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by Leslie Adler)