A doctor who helped provide ketamine to Matthew Perry has avoided prison time for his role in the Friends’ star’s death.
Mark Chavez was sentenced Tuesday to eight months of home confinement after Perry died in October 2023 due to a drug overdose.
The San Diego doctor acquired ketamine, a surgical anesthetic, and gave it to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who then sold it to Perry in the months before he died at the age of 54. Plasencia was sentenced to two and half years in prison earlier this month for his role in Perry’s premature death.
Perry was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home by his personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who injected the actor with the ketamine that killed him, according to officals. The actor had been taking ketamine legally at first to treat his depression.
Before Chavez’s sentence was delivered, he said in court, “I just want to say my heart goes out to the Perry family,” the Associated Press reported.
In a text message exchange between Plasencia and Chavez, Plasencia called Perry a “moron.”
“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia asked Chavez a month before the actor died. “Lets find out.”
Federal prosecutors say Plasencia bought $795 worth of ketamine vials and tablets, syringes and gloves from Chavez. Plasencia then went to Perry’s home and injected him with the drug, and left at least one vial for Iwamasa, according to the Justice Department. The assistant paid Plasencia $4,500, prosecutors say.
Chavez is now on supervised release for three years and has to complete 300 hours of community service. He pleaded guilty in October 2024 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine, facing up to 10 years in federal prison.
“He’s incredibly remorseful, not just because it happened to Matthew Perry, but because it happened to a patient,” Chavez’s lawyer Matthew Binninger, said outside of court in August 2024, per the AP. “He’s trying to do everything in his power to right the wrong that happened here.”
Chavez and Plasencia surrendered their medical licenses.
The Justice Department announced in August that Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” agreed to plead guilty to charges related to Perry’s death.
Sangha had worked with a man named Erik Fleming to distribute ketamine to Perry, whose struggles with drug addiction were well known. In October 2023, Sangha and Fleming sold Perry 51 vials of ketamine, which were given to Iwamasa.
Fleming, along with Iwamasa, also pleaded guilty to charges relating to Perry’s death. They will both be sentenced in January. Sangha will be sentenced in February.
Perry is best known for his starring role as Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004. When he died, his former co-stars —Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow — paid tribute to the late actor.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.
“In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
