Matthew Perry’s ketamine supplier Dr Mark Chavez pleads guilty after using phony prescription to peddle drugs to actor
The doctor spoke about suffering burnout years before he was sentenced for his role in the actor's death
ONE of the two doctors charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and is facing up to 10 years in prison.
Dr. Mark Chavez formally entered his plea in a Los Angeles federal courtroom on Wednesday, months after signing an agreement with prosecutors where he agreed to plead guilty.
Chavez, who was one of five people arrested in connection with Perry’s fatal overdose in October 2023, has been free on bond after an initial court appearance on August 29, where a judge ordered him to turn over his passport and surrender his medical license, among other conditions.
His attorney, Matthew Binninger, said in August that Chavez was “incredibly remorseful” and was “trying to do everything in his power to right the wrong that happened here.”
The lawyer called Perry’s death “a shame.”
“It doesn’t matter that he was a famous celebrity, and I know that he was incredibly universally loved by all. It’s a shame at what happened,” Binninger said.
The actor, known for playing Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom , was open about his decades-long struggle with substance abuse in the years before his death.
Perry died at 54 after “acute effects” of ketamine caused him to lose consciousness and drown in his hot tub, an autopsy report revealed in December 2023.
Chavez is the third person to plead guilty in connection to Perry’s death.
PHONY PRESCRIPTION & SICK TEXTS
The disgraced doctor admitted to selling ketamine to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, another doctor charged in connection with Perry’s death, including ketamine that he obtained illegally from his former clinic.
Chavez also confessed to getting ketamine by using a phony prescription with the name of a former patient without that patient’s consent.
Authorities said Plasencia bought ketamine from Chavez and discussed how much they should charge Perry for the drug in disturbing texts.
“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia allegedly wrote to Chavez.
Plasencia is charged with nine counts in connection to Perry’s death – seven counts of distributing ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents related to the investigation.
Perry’s live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death.
Iwamasa admitted to repeatedly injecting Perry with the drug without having any medical training.
Five charged in Matthew Perry's death
On August 15, prosecutors announced a slew of charges stemming from the tragic overdose death of Friends star Matthew Perry.
Here are the five individuals allegedly behind Perry’s ketamine crisis.
- “Ketamine Queen of Los Angeles” Jasveen Sangha – Sangha is a 41-year-old drug dealer who allegedly helped sell the ketamine that killed Perry, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. In 2019, Sangha sold ketamine to another victim hours before he died, prosecutors say. After hearing of his death, she allegedly searched “can ketamine be listed as a cause of death,” on Google. She faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of all charges.
- “Dr. P” Dr. Salvador Plasencia – Plasencia, 42, allegedly learned that Perry was seeking ketamine, and obtained doses from a dirty doctor. Speaking to the doctor over text, he allegedly said, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.” Plasencia taught unlicensed people associated with Perry how to inject ketamine, and even personally injected it at times, prosecutors say. Perry’s assistant, who was taught by Plasencia, administered the fatal dose on October 28, 2023. Plasencia is facing nine charges stemming from the death.
- Kenneth Iwamasa – Iwamasa, 59, was Perry’s live-in assistant who was allegedly taught how to inject ketamine by Dr. Plasencia, according to prosecutors. He also corresponded with dealers to organize the sale and delivery of the drug. He admitted to injecting Perry multiple times on the day of his death in a guilty plea.
- Eric Fleming – Fleming, 54, is a dealer who helped to coordinate drug sales to Sangha before they ultimately made it to Perry. He corresponded with Iwamasa when ketamine was on its way to their home. Fleming admitted to distributing 50 vials of ketamine to Iwamasa, half of them four days before Perry’s death.
- Dr. Mark Chavez – Chavez admitted to selling ketamine to Dr. Plasencia by writing fraudulent prescriptions. He also coordinated with Iwamasa to get the drugs to Perry. Between September and October 2023, Plasencia, Chavez, and Iwamasa allegedly distributed approximately 20 vials of ketamine to Perry for $55,000 in cash.
Court documents alleged that Plasencia also administered ketamine to the actor and supplied the vials that Iwamasa gave him.
Middleman Erik Fleming also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
Fleming admitted he got the drug from “ketamine queen” supplier Jasveen Sangha and distributed it to Iwamasa.
Sangha has been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, one count of maintaining drug-involved premises, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of distribution of ketamine.
Prosecutors allege that Sangha distributed the ketamine on October 24, 2023, which caused Perry’s death just four days later.
Plasencia and Sangha have both pleaded not guilty and go on trial in March.
After the doctors sold the ketamine to Perry for $4,500, Plasencia allegedly asked Chavez if he could continue to get him drugs so they could become the star’s “go-to” supplier, prosecutors said.
HEARTBREAKING DEATH
Chavez’s guilty plea comes almost a year after Perry was found dead in the hot tub of his home in Los Angeles on October 28, 2023.
His autopsy later revealed the Friends star had traces of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic used to treat depression and pain, in his system on the night Iwamasa discovered him floating face down in the jacuzzi of his swimming pool at his Palisades home.
The autopsy report revealed Perry’s final moments, which included his pickleball session at 11 am that day.
His live-in assistant last reported seeing the actor at around 1:37 pm on October 28, 2023.
When Iwamasa returned to Perry’s home, the assistant found him floating face-down in his hot tub.
He quickly jumped in and lifted Perry’s head out of the water before calling the cops, who pronounced him dead at the scene.
The actor was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to treat his depression and anxiety at the time of his death.
Drug Enforcement Agency administrator Anne Milgram revealed that Perry was addicted to ketamine, which led him to turn to doctors like Chavez and Plasencia to get more drugs when clinic doctors refused to increase his dosage.
Perry, who was candid about his struggles with addiction throughout his career, released his memoir about his journey to sobriety called Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing just months before his death.
DOC’S BURNOUT
When prosecutors announced the charges in connection with Perry’s death on August 15, US Attorney Martin Estrada alleged that Chavez and Plasencia knew what they were doing in supplying the drugs.
“The doctors preyed on Perry’s history of addiction in the final months of his life last year to provide him with ketamine in amounts they knew were dangerous,” Estrada said.
The U.S. Sun revealed in August that Chavez couldn’t cope with his previous role as an ER doctor – eventually quitting due to burnout caused by the long hours.
Around 2019 and 2020, he appeared to have rebranded himself as an entrepreneur who developed the Gravity Ball, a grip-free resistance exercise ball.
The doctors preyed on Perry’s history of addiction in the final months of his life last year to provide him with ketamine in amounts they knew were dangerous.”
Martin Estrada
He spoke about his journey to becoming a so-called fitness guru in a YouTube video to promote the product in 2021.
Chavez said in the clip, “I was suffering from burnout as a doctor after years of working long hours in the hospital emergency room.
“I’d become unfit, depressed, and gained over 60 pounds. Not a great way to be when people are coming to you for health guidance.
“I was ashamed of the person I’d become and vowed to make a major change in my life.”
Even with a plea deal, Chavez could spend up to 10 years in prison. His sentencing is set for April 2, 2025.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) at 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
