Doctor Pleads Guilty In Matthew Perry’s Ketamine Death Case; Agrees To Surrender Medical License

Mark Chavez, a doctor involved in the Matthew Perry ketamine case, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute the drug and will surrender his medical license. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

By Seema Sinha

Published on Oct 03, 2024 | 08:38 AM IST | 60.9K

Matthew Perry (Getty Images)

Trigger Warning: This article contains references to drug addiction

One of the two doctors implicated in Matthew Perry’s ketamine-related death has formally pleaded guilty. Dr. Mark Chavez admitted to one count of conspiring to distribute the controlled anesthetic drugs in federal court in Los Angeles at 11 a.m. PT on Wednesday, October 2, according to reports from Deadline, Fox 11, and other media outlets.

Free on a $50,000 bond, Chavez will be sentenced on April 2. He faces up to 10 years in prison. Per BBC, he has turned over his passport and agreed to surrender his medical license immediately.

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In his plea agreement, obtained by various news outlets, Chavez, who ran a ketamine clinic, said that he sold the drug to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, one of the other defendants in the case, who is accused by federal authorities of then selling it to Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa.

Iwamasa was the first to discover the Friends actor’s deceased body in a hot tub on October 28, 2023.

Plasencia has pleaded not guilty to several charges in connection with the case, while Iwamasa previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death.

The federal authorities charged a total of five defendants, including Chavez, Plasencia, and Iwamasa, as well as Jasveen Sangha—dubbed the Ketamine Queen by prosecutors—and Erik Fleming, an acquaintance of Perry’s.

Sangha is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute the drug in question, one count of maintaining drug-involved premises, another count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one more count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of distribution of ketamine. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Fleming, who has pleaded guilty, allegedly acted as an intermediary between Sangha and Iwamasa in the purchase of 50 vials of ketamine.

ALSO READ: Matthew Perry’s Friends Are Sad He Was 'Surrounded By Enablers’; Arrests In His Case ‘Have Brought Back A Lot Of Feelings' For Them, Says Source

Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time as Chandler Bing on the hit NBC sitcom Friends, which also featured Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc. The fan-favorite show ran for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004.

If you know someone who is struggling with substance abuse, please reach out to the authorities and report it. There are several helplines available for the same.

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