Doctor Involved in Matthew Perry's Death Pleads Guilty to Ketamine Charge after Fed Deal

Mark Chavez, one of the doctors charged in the drug-related death of Friends star Matthew Perry, pleaded guilty to one federal count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.

The 54-year-old actor was found dead in his backyard jacuzzi in southern California in October 2023. Ketamine is used as a treatment for depression, anxiety, and pain. 

A post-mortem examination found a high concentration of the drug ketamine in his blood and determined "acute effects" of the substance had killed him. 

In his plea deal, Chavez admitted he obtained ketamine from both his former clinic and a wholesale distributor through a fraudulent prescription.

Chavez, 54, of San Diego, entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in Los Angeles federal court, who set an April 2 date for sentencing. He could face up to 10 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 

The defendant is one of five people charged in Perry's death and is the third to sign a plea deal with prosecutors in the case.  He operated a ketamine clinic and sold ketamine lozenges to Dr Salvador Plasencia, who supplied them to Perry, the star of the NBC sitcom Friends.

Two other defendants charged in connection with Perry’s death — Jasveen Sangha, 41, aka the “Ketamine Queen,” of North Hollywood, and Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 42, aka “Dr. P,” of Santa Monica — pleaded not guilty to one count each of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and tentatively is scheduled to go on trial March 4.

Erik Fleming, 54, of Hawthorne, who pleaded guilty August 8 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death, admitting that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry, prosecutors said. Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, of Toluca Lake, pleaded guilty to a felony count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 6. 

During a previous hearing, Chavez was granted release on a $50,000 bond and ordered not to practice medicine. At a separate proceeding, he agreed to surrender his California medical license.

Prosecutors said Perry's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, worked with the two doctors to provide the actor with more than $50,000 (£38,000) of ketamine in the weeks before his death.

According to the indictment, the two medical doctors exchanged texts discussing how much they could charge Perry for vials of the drug, with one message reading: "I wonder how much this moron will pay."

The plea allows Chavez to plead guilty to a lesser charge for his cooperation in the investigation, though he could still face up to 10 years in prison.

"He has accepted responsibility. He is cooperating," his attorney told the court.

Chavez has turned over his passport and agreed to surrender his medical license immediately.

He is free on bail until sentencing on April 2, 2025.