Doctor accused in Matthew Perry's death case pleads guilty to drug charge
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mark Chavez, a San Diego doctor, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, October 2, to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine to actor Matthew Perry that led to a fatal overdose.
Chavez, 54, entered the plea to the felony in federal court in Los Angeles and has become the third person to admit guilt in the aftermath of the 'Friends' star's death in October 2023, per Page Six.
Dr Mark Chavez pleads guilty to drug charge
Prosecutors gave lesser charges to Dr Mark Chavez and two others for their cooperation as they targeted two others who were deemed more responsible for the overdose death, another Dr Salvador Plasencia, and an alleged dealer that they say was known as the 'ketamine queen' of Los Angeles, Jasveen Sangha.
Moreover, Chavez is free on bond until the sentencing and has turned over his passport. He also agreed to surrender his medical license, among other conditions.
Matthew Binninger, Chavez's lawyer, said that after the doctor's first court appearance on August 30, he is "incredibly remorseful" and is "trying to do everything in his power to right the wrong that happened here."
Meanwhile, Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, who admitted to helping him obtain and inject ketamine, and a Perry acquaintance Erik Fleming, who admitted to acting as a drug messenger and middleman are also working with federal prosecutors.
The three are helping prosecutors as they go after their main targets, Plasencia and Sangha, who have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
Mark Chavez admits he took ketamine from former clinic and wholesale distributor
In his plea agreement, Mark Chavez admitted that he used to take ketamine from his former clinic and from a wholesale distributor where he submitted a fake prescription.
The doctor could face up to 10 years in prison, as per the law, when he is sentenced on April 2, 2025. However, he is likely to be sentenced to far less because of the plea and his cooperation with prosecutors, per the outlet.
About a month before Perry's death, the late actor found Plasencia, who in turn allegedly asked Chavez to get the drug for him. According to court filings from prosecutors, Plasencia texted Chavez, "I wonder how much this moron will pay."
They met in Costa Mesa on the same day and exchanged at least four vials of ketamine, the filings said. Prosecutors said that after selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500, Plasencia asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them so they could become Perry’s "go-to".
US Attorney Martin Estrada mentioned in the charges on August 15 that "the doctors preyed on Perry’s history of addiction in the final months of his life last year to provide him with ketamine in amounts they knew were dangerous."
Matthew Perry 'sat alone in the back' at rehab meetings
Matthew Perry "sat alone in the back" of addiction support groups as his fame stopped him from meeting with others, as per Nick Matthews, a former addict who was interviewed for the documentary, 'TMZ Investigates: Matthew Perry & The Secret Celebrity Drug Ring', according to Radar Online.
Matthews said Perry appeared "melancholy" and uncomfortable during these meetings. He explained that Perry appeared as if he was "not feeling comfortable with the same vulnerability that I had."
He said, "I would just see [Perry] sitting by himself quietly in the back, while we’re all having meaningful connection with one another." Matthews further noted that it was "very, very clear" Perry "had a circle of enablers," before adding that this is "always going to be true when you're at that level of celebrity."
He added, "You have a group of people around you, yes men, enablers that just get things done for you. And you could see that."
