Another doctor linked to Matthew Perry’s death has been sentenced.
A California doctor was ordered Tuesday, Dec. 16, to serve eight months of house arrest for illegally supplying ketamine to Friends star whose fatal overdose in 2023 shocked the world.
Dr. Mark Chavez, 55, a former doctor based in San Diego, pleaded guilty in October to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He surrendered his medical license the following month. Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett also sentenced Chavez to 300 hours of community service.
As part of his plea agreement, Chavez admitted that he sold ketamine to another doctor, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 44. Plasencia then delivered the drug to Perry, although prosecutors said Chavez did not administer the specific dose that ultimately killed the actor.
Plasencia was sentenced earlier this month to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of illegal drug distribution. He and Chavez are the first two of five defendants to be sentenced in connection with Perry’s ketamine-induced death.
Three others are still awaiting sentencing: Jasveen Sangha, 42, a dealer known as the “Ketamine Queen”; middleman Erik Fleming, 56 years old; and Perry’s former personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 60. Sangha admitted to delivering the fatal dose, while Iwamasa admitted to injecting Perry and later discovered him face down in his hot tub on October 28, 2023.
An autopsy concluded that Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine, which caused him to lose consciousness and drown. The actor, 54, had long been open about his struggles with addiction, including during his years as Chandler Bing it Friends.
Federal officials said Perry initially received ketamine legally to treat depression and anxiety, but later turned to illegal sources after clinics refused to increase his dose and accused several providers of exploiting his addiction for profit.
