Second doctor who pleaded guilty in Matthew Perry death case sentenced

Dr. Mark Chavez gets home confinement after pleading guilty in ketamine conspiracy tied to Matthew Perry’s death

A federal judge has sentenced Dr. Mark Chavez, the second physician to plead guilty in connection with Matthew Perry’s death, bringing another major development in the high-profile ketamine overdose case involving the late Friends actor.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett sentenced Chavez to eight months of home confinement and ordered him to complete 300 hours of community service. Chavez pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine after federal authorities launched a sweeping investigation into the circumstances surrounding Perry’s death in 2023.

Prosecutors said Chavez illegally obtained ketamine by submitting a fraudulent prescription in the name of a patient without that individual’s knowledge or consent. He then sold the drug to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who supplied ketamine to Perry in the weeks leading up to the actor’s fatal overdose. Plasencia was sentenced earlier this month to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of distributing ketamine.

Court records revealed text messages between the two doctors discussing how much to charge Perry for the drug. One message from Plasencia, in which he wrote, “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” was cited in a victim impact letter submitted by Perry’s stepfather, journalist Keith Morrison.

In the letter, Morrison condemned Chavez’s actions, accusing him of violating his professional oath and exploiting Perry’s vulnerability for financial gain. Matthew Perry, who had long been open about his struggles with addiction, died in 2023 after overdosing on ketamine and drowning in his hot tub.

The case is not yet complete. Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, drug dealer Erik Fleming, and Jasveen Sangha — known as the “Ketamine Queen” — have also been charged and are expected to be sentenced in the coming weeks.