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Salvador Plasencia, 44, is the first of five defendants to be convicted in Perry’s death.
The doctor pleaded guilty in June to four counts of distributing ketamine, a drug used controlledly in treatments for depression and post-traumatic stress but abused and sold illegally.
The actor’s mother and stepfather, who suffered from addiction problems for years, addressed the doctor in a statement submitted to the court.
“Matthew’s recovery depends on you saying no,” Susan Perry and Keith Morrison wrote, according to reporters in court.
“His motives? We can’t imagine. A doctor who dedicates his life to helping others?” They added.
Plasencia’s defense stated after the hearing that the doctor regretted his actions.
“He is not evil. He is someone who made serious errors in his decisions regarding the unauthorized use of ketamine,” attorneys Karen Goldstein and Debra White stressed in a statement.
They added: “He will forever remember the mistakes he made during the 13 days he treated Perry.”
Placencia surrendered his professional license and was taken into custody.
Perry’s death at the age of 54 shocked “Friends” fans around the world.
Plascencia did not supply Perry with the fatal dose of ketamine, but he did supply the actor with the drug in the weeks before he was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles residence.
Another doctor, Mark Chavez, pleaded guilty in October to conspiring to supply Perry with ketamine.
Plasencia allegedly purchased ketamine from Chavez and sold it to the American-Canadian actor at grossly inflated prices.
“I wonder how much this idiot will pay,” Plasencia wrote in a text message provided by prosecutors.
The other four people who also admitted participating in supplying the actor with drugs will be sentenced in the coming months.
Among them is Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” who has been supplying the drug to celebrities. She could be imprisoned for up to 65 years.
“Friends”, painkillers and alcohol
“Friends,” which followed the lives of six young New Yorkers, attracted a large audience.
Perry’s role as the sarcastic and childish Chandler has earned him a fortune. But the actor hid a dark struggle with dependence on painkillers and alcohol.
Perry used ketamine as part of supervised treatment for depression. However, prosecutors allege that before his death he became addicted to the substance, which also has narcotic properties and is popular at parties.