LOS ANGELES (AP) — In a significant development in the case surrounding the death of Matthew Perry, one of the two doctors implicated is set to plead guilty on Wednesday in a federal court located in Los Angeles. Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, from San Diego, has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors that involves charges related to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine. This plea makes him the third individual to enter a guilty plea following the tragic overdose of the “Friends” star last year.
Chavez’s plea deal arrived in August, as prosecutors offered him and two others lesser charges in return for their cooperation with the ongoing investigation. Authorities are focused on two primary targets they believe hold greater responsibility for Perry’s overdose: another physician and a suspected drug dealer identified as the “ketamine queen” of Los Angeles.
Currently, Chavez is out on bond, having surrendered his medical license and passport, among other stipulations. His attorney, Matthew Binninger, conveyed that Chavez feels “incredibly remorseful” and is “doing everything in his power to right the wrong that happened here,” following Chavez’s initial court appearance on August 30.
In addition to Chavez, federal investigators are collaborating with Perry’s former assistant, who has confessed to assisting the actor in obtaining and administering ketamine, as well as a person close to Perry who acted as a drug intermediary.
The three individuals are aiding prosecutors in their efforts to build a case against Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Jasveen Sangha. Plasencia faces charges for allegedly selling ketamine to Perry in the month preceding the actor’s death. Sangha is accused of providing Perry with the fatal dose of the drug. Both Plasencia and Sangha have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
Chavez acknowledged in his plea agreement that he unlawfully obtained ketamine from his previous clinic and a wholesale distributor by submitting a fraudulent prescription. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Matthew Perry was tragically found deceased by his assistant on October 28. A medical examination confirmed that ketamine was the primary cause of his death. Reports indicated that Perry had been using the drug legally for off-label treatment of depression, although the treatment has become increasingly controversial and common.
Facing difficulty in receiving sufficient ketamine from his physician, Perry sought additional sources and connected with Plasencia about a month before his death. Communication between Plasencia and Chavez included a text where Plasencia questioned the amount Perry would pay for the drug. They arranged a meeting in Costa Mesa, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, where they reportedly exchanged several vials of ketamine.
After selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500, Plasencia proposed that Chavez continue supplying the drug to create a stable procurement route for Perry.
Perry’s battle with addiction was well-documented, dating back to his rise to fame as Chandler Bing on “Friends,” where he starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer for ten seasons on NBC’s iconic sitcom from 1994 to 2004.
