Another doctor linked to Matthew Perry’s death has been sentenced.
A California doctor was sentenced Tuesday, December 16, to serve eight months of home confinement for illegally supplying ketamine to Friends star, whose fatal overdose in 2023 shocked the world.
Dr. Mark Chavez, 55, a former San Diego-based physician, pleaded guilty in October to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He gave up his medical license the following month. Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett also sentenced Chavez to 300 hours of community service.
As part of his plea deal, Chavez admitted to selling ketamine to another doctor, 44-year-old Dr. Salvador Plasencia. Plasencia then provided the drugs to Perry, although prosecutors said Chavez did not provide 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 convicted 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; and Perry’s former personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 60. Sangha admitted to providing the lethal dose, while Iwamasa admitted to injecting Perry and later discovering 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 54-year-old actor has long spoken openly about his struggles with addiction, including during his years as Chandler Bing in Friends.
Federal officials said Perry was initially given ketamine legally to treat depression and anxiety, but then turned to illicit sources after clinics refused to increase his dose, accusing several providers of exploiting his addiction for profit.
