A doctor who was charged in connection with the October 2023 overdose death of actor Matthew Perry has made his first appearance in court, and according to court records, the physician has reached a plea deal with prosecutors in the case.
Physician Who Sold Ketamine Appears in Court
On Friday, one of two physicians who were charged with playing a role in the ketamine overdose death of Friends actor Matthew Perry appeared in a federal court in Los Angeles. It was the doctor’s first such appearance.
Dr. Mark Chavez of San Diego was one of five individuals charged with playing various roles in delivering to Matthew Perry the powerful dissociative drug ketamine, an overdose of which was named as the cause of Perry’s shocking death by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner upon completion of an autopsy on October 29, 2023, the day after Perry was found face down in a stand-alone hot tub near the pool behind his $6 million L. A. mansion in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The Charges Against the Physician
Chavez, 54, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
During the investigation carried out by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the FBI, Chavez admitted to selling the drug to another physician, Dr. Plasencia, saying the drug was ketamine that he had “diverted from his former ketamine clinic.”
Chavez also admitted to submitting a fraudulent prescription in the name of a patient he had formerly treated but without consent from that individual. former patient without that individual’s consent.
On Friday, Chavez stood before a judge with his attorney and said he understood his rights. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jean P. Rosenbluth said that Chavez could remain out of jail, free on bond, though with numerous restrictions, two of which include turning over his passport and no longer working as a physician.
What Happens Now?
Earlier in August, Dr. Chavez signed an agreement to plead guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine, but during his court appearance on Friday, Chavez made no mention of the case whatsoever, nor did he enter his guilty plea.
That will done at a different time during a separate court appearance.
Once the plea is entered, Chavez will be the third individual to plead guilty to charges related to Matthew Perry’s overdose death last fall.
Chavez further agreed to work with prosecutors in their pursuit of others, including the doctor with whom Chavez worked to sell the drug to Perry.