A doctor accused of the drug overdose death of actor Matthew Perry has pleaded guilty. Dr. Mark Chavez changed his plea in a Los Angeles court to a charge of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
Chavez, 54, ran a clinic specializing in ketamine and sold it to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who then supplied the actor Perry, star of the famous NBC series,
"Friends". Chavez is one of five people charged in Perry's death. The 54-year-old actor was found dead in his Southern California home in October 2023.
An autopsy revealed a high concentration of ketamine in his blood and determined that the "acute effects" of the substance were the cause of death. Ketamine is used to treat depression, anxiety and pain.
In his plea agreement, Chavez admitted to obtaining ketamine from both his former clinic and a wholesale distributor through a forged prescription.
Prosecutors said Perry's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, had collaborated with both doctors to provide the actor with more than $50,000 worth of ketamine in the weeks before his death.
According to the indictment, the two doctors exchanged messages about the prices they could ask Perry for the drugs, with one of the messages reading: "I wonder how much this idiot will pay."
The deal allows Chavez to plead guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for his cooperation in the investigation, but he still faces up to 10 years in prison. "He has accepted responsibility and is cooperating," his lawyer said in court.
Chavez has surrendered his passport and agreed to give up his medical license immediately. He will be free on bail pending sentencing on April 2, 2025.
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