A California doctor who sold ketamine to Friends star Matthew Perry has been sentenced to eight months of home detention and three years of supervised release, making him the second person to be sentenced in the actor's death.
Dr. Mark Chavez is among five individuals, including another doctor and a dealer known as the Ketamine Queen, who have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the sitcom star's 2023 death at his home in Los Angeles.
The physician, based in San Diego, admitted to obtaining ketamine from his clinic and a wholesale distributor via a fraudulent prescription and sold it to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who supplied the dissociative anesthetic to Perry.
Plasencia was sentenced earlier this month to 30 months in prison.
The multiyear federal investigation into Perry's death examined how the Emmy-winning actor acquired ketamine through an underground drug network in Hollywood.
Ketamine, a surgical anesthetic, is used for treating depression, anxiety, and pain. Perry, who struggled with drug addiction and depression, had been prescribed the drug as part of his treatment but began seeking more than his prescription allowed.
This addiction ultimately led him to a drug ring involving two doctors, his live-in assistant, a man named Erik Fleming, and American-British dual-national Jasveen Sangha, the dealer known as the Ketamine Queen. The latter three are yet to be sentenced.
A post-mortem examination found a high concentration of ketamine in Perry's blood, determining that acute effects of the substance had contributed to his death.
Prosecutors revealed that Perry's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, collaborated with Chavez and Plasencia to provide the actor with over $50,000 worth of ketamine in the weeks leading up to his death.
Chavez's plea deal required him to surrender his medical license and passport, and he admitted to supplying 22 vials of liquid ketamine and nine ketamine lozenges to Plasencia. Their communication included discussions that exploited Perry's addiction for financial gain.
