Matthew Perry’s Doctor to Appear in Court Over Ketamine Death

A prominent San Diego doctor is expected to admit in a Los Angeles court to his involvement in the death of Friends star Matthew Perry.
Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, is scheduled to plead guilty on Friday to charges of conspiring to distribute ketamine, a powerful anesthetic that has been linked to Perry’s fatal overdose.
He reached a plea deal earlier this month after agreeing to cooperate with federal prosecutors, who are also pursuing other people related to the case.
They include Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who allegedly sold the ketamine to Perry, and Jasveen Sangha, who is accused of being the dealer who provided the lethal dose.
Both Plasencia and Sangha have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial. Newsweek contacted lawyers for both Plasencia and Sangha by email for comment on Friday morning.
According to prosecutors, Chavez’s role in the scheme involved getting hold of ketamine from his former clinic and a wholesale distributor using fraudulent prescriptions. He then supplied the drug to Plasencia, who sold it to Perry for $4,500.
Chavez faces up to 10 years in prison.
Perry, best known for his iconic role as Chandler Bing on NBC’s Friends, was found dead in a hot tub in his home by his assistant on Oct. 28 of last year. He was 54.
In December, it was determined by the medical examiner that the primary cause of death was the acute effects of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic used as a treatment for depression and pain management.
Perry had been using the drug as part of an off-label treatment for depression, a practice that has grown more common in recent years.
After his death, it transpired that Perry had been seeking more ketamine than his doctor would provide, and that he turned to Plasencia about a month before his death.
Plasencia then contacted Chavez to supply the drug. Text messages between the two revealed their plan to make Perry a regular customer, with Plasencia referring to him as a potential “go-to” client.
“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia texted Chavez.
Officials said Perry paid the doctors $55,000 in cash in exchange for 20 vials of ketamine from September to October 2023.
Prosecutors have accused the doctors of taking advantage of Perry’s history of addiction, which plagued him during and after his time on Friends.
Plasencia is facing multiple charges, including the illegal distribution of ketamine and falsifying records after Perry’s death. His trial, along with Sangha’s, is scheduled to begin next year.
Perry’s struggle with addiction was well-documented, and his untimely death has shone a light on the risks of misusing powerful drugs under the guise of medical treatment.
He openly spoke about his addiction to alcohol and prescription medication, writing in his memoir that he spent $9 million trying to get sober.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press