Physician Linked to Matthew Perry Ketamine Case Receives Home Confinement Sentence

A California doctor who admitted to unlawfully obtaining and distributing ketamine connected to the overdose death of actor Matthew Perry was sentenced Tuesday to home confinement, marking the second sentencing in a federal case that has drawn national attention to the misuse of the drug.

U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett ordered Dr. Mark Chavez, 55, to serve eight months of home confinement, followed by three years of supervised release. Chavez was also sentenced to complete 300 hours of community service. He previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.

During the sentencing hearing in Los Angeles, Chavez addressed the court and expressed sympathy for Perry’s family. He told the judge that he had recently experienced the loss of a loved one and said he understood the grief caused by the actor’s death.

“I just want to say my heart goes out to the Perry family,” Chavez said.

Prosecutors said Chavez played a supporting role in the drug distribution scheme by obtaining ketamine from a wholesale supplier under false pretenses and providing it to another physician, Dr. Salvador Plasencia. Plasencia, who prosecutors described as the primary supplier, was sentenced earlier this month to two and a half years in federal prison for selling ketamine to Perry in the months leading up to his death.

Court documents show that Perry had been receiving ketamine legally through his regular doctor as part of an off-label treatment for depression. When his physician declined to increase the dosage, Perry sought out additional sources. About a month before his death, he connected with Plasencia, who then asked Chavez to help acquire more of the drug, according to filings.

Chavez admitted to supplying Plasencia with 22 vials of ketamine and nine ketamine lozenges. Investigators said the two doctors met at various locations between San Diego and Los Angeles to exchange the drugs, which had been obtained using fraudulent prescriptions. Chavez was never taken into custody and voluntarily surrendered his medical license before his detention hearing, actions his attorneys cited as evidence of early accountability and cooperation with investigators.

Plasencia, in contrast, admitted to exploiting Perry’s struggles with addiction. Prosecutors cited text messages in which Plasencia made disparaging remarks about Perry and discussed profiting from supplying him with ketamine.

Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on NBC’s long-running sitcom “Friends,” was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28, 2023. He was 54 years old. The Los Angeles County medical examiner later determined that ketamine was the primary cause of death.

Chavez is one of five defendants who have pleaded guilty in connection with Perry’s death. Three additional defendants are expected to be sentenced in separate hearings in the coming months.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.