Dr. Salvador Plasencia, the California physician who pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine to late actor Matthew Perry weeks before his death, was sentenced in federal court on Dec. 3 in Los Angeles.

U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett sentenced the 44-year-old to 2 1/2 years behind bars, along with two years of probation and a $5,600 fine.

Plasencia is the first to receive sentencing among the five individuals convicted in the overdose death of the “Friends” star.

The judge recognized that Plasencia didn’t provide the ketamine that directly killed Perry, but said the doctor exploited the actor’s addiction for personal profit.

“You and others helped Mr. Perry on the road to such an ending by continuing to feed his ketamine addiction,” Garnett said.

Best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the popular sitcom “Friends,” Perry was found dead in 2023 at the age of 54, after struggling with addiction issues for years.

At the time, authorities said the actor was found unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his residence in the Pacific Palisades. A medical examiner later confirmed he died from the acute effects of ketamine, a surgical anesthetic that is also used as an off-label treatment for depression.

Despite legally receiving the treatment through his doctor, Perry turned to Plasencia, who admitted to illegally selling the substance to him, while knowing his previous history of drug misuse.

“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 said in a sentencing memo.

Prior to sentencing, Plasencia delivered remarks of his own where he apologized directly to Perry’s family before adding that he “should have protected him.”

In July, Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, with the prosecution originally requesting a sentence of 36 months in prison. He faced a maximum sentence of 10 years for each count, before reaching a plea agreement.

Meanwhile, the other four defendants who pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with Perry’s death are set to be sentenced in the coming months.

Among them is Jasveen Sangha, a prolific drug dealer who’s been dubbed the “Ketamine Queen.” The charges against her and the others include multiple drug trafficking counts, such as distribution of ketamine resulting in death, maintaining drug-involved premises, altering and falsifying records related to a federal investigation, and others.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.