Physician Pleads Guilty in Connection to Matthew Perry’s Death.

Published on 03 October 2024, by Olivia Collins | NY, USA.

Dr. Mark Chavez, one of two physicians charged in connection with the tragic death of actor Matthew Perry, has admitted guilt in a federal case involving the distribution of ketamine. Chavez, 54, entered a guilty plea on Wednesday, October 2, in a Los Angeles federal court. The charges stem from an investigation into Perry's death, during which Chavez, along with Dr. Salvador Plasencia and drug dealer Jasveen Sangha—known as the "ketamine queen" of North Hollywood—was arrested. Five people were implicated in total earlier this summer in relation to the case.

Chavez could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years, with his sentencing scheduled for April 2, 2025, according to NBC News. The indictment against Chavez alleges that he fraudulently obtained ketamine by writing a prescription in a patient's name without her knowledge, and deceived wholesale distributors to acquire more ketamine, which he planned to sell to Plasencia for distribution to Perry. Chavez’s attorney, Matthew Binninger, stated that his client feels "remorseful" for his part in Perry’s overdose and is "accepting responsibility."

In August, charges were formally brought against all five defendants: Chavez, Plasencia, Sangha, Erik Fleming, and Perry’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) administrator Anne Milgram remarked that each defendant played a crucial role in Perry's death, whether by issuing false prescriptions, distributing, or administering the ketamine that led to the fatal incident.

DEA administrator Milgram further alleged that the late actor’s tragic path began with unethical doctors exploiting their positions of trust for financial gain, followed by street dealers who supplied him with ketamine in unmarked containers.

Texts exchanged between Plasencia and Chavez before Perry’s death suggest a callous attitude, with Plasencia reportedly texting Chavez, "I wonder how much this moron will pay."

Nearly a year before Chavez’s guilty plea, Perry was found dead in his hot tub in October 2023. The coroner's report revealed that Perry had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to manage depression and anxiety prior to his death, but the levels of ketamine in his body at the time were abnormally high.

Perry, known for his struggles with addiction throughout his career, had shared his battle with substance abuse in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.