Doctor who helped sell ketamine to actor Matthew Perry before his overdose death avoids prison time
The judge also ordered three years’ supervised release and 300 hours of community service.
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LOS ANGELES: A doctor who pleaded guilty in a scheme to supply ketamine to actor Matthew Perry before his overdose death was sentenced on Tuesday (Dec 16) to eight months of home confinement.
Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence that included 3 years of supervised release to 55-year-old Dr Mark Chavez in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles.
Before the sentence was delivered, Chavez addressed the judge and said he had lost a loved one recently and understood the grief that Perry's death has caused.
“I just want to say my heart goes out to the Perry family,” he said.
Chavez acquired ketamine and gave it to Dr Salvador Plasencia, who was sentenced to two and a half years in prison earlier this month for selling ketamine to Perry in the months leading up to his death.
Chavez’s attorneys emphasised the difference between the two doctors and said that Chavez “accepted responsibility early” by cooperating with investigators and voluntarily giving up his medical license ahead of his detention hearing.
“These are real steps that someone takes toward accountability,” attorney Matthew Binninger said.
He called the sentence a “fair and just outcome” for the case.
Perry had been taking the surgical anaesthetic ketamine legally as a treatment for depression. But when his regular doctor wouldn’t provide it in the amounts he wanted, he turned to Plasencia.
Plasencia admitted to taking advantage of Perry, knowing he was a struggling addict. Plasencia texted Chavez that Perry was a “moron” who could be exploited for money, according to court filings.
Chavez admitted to obtaining the ketamine from a wholesale distributor on false pretences and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He has not been in custody.
Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest TV stars of his generation as Chandler Bing. He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC’s megahit.
Chavez is the second person to be sentenced of the five defendants who have pleaded guilty in connection with Perry’s death at age 54 in 2023.
Perry was found dead by his assistant on Oct 28. The medical examiner ruled ketamine was the primary cause of death. The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression that has become increasingly common.
Seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him, about a month before his death Perry found Plasencia, who in turn asked Chavez to obtain the drug for him.
He met with Plasencia between San Diego and Los Angeles to hand off ketamine he got using fraudulent prescriptions. In all, he admitted to supplying 22 5ml vials of ketamine and nine ketamine lozenges.
Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of six months home confinement, two years of probation, and at least 300 hours of community service. Chavez’s attorneys asked for credit for time served and three years of probation.
The other three defendants who reached deals to plead guilty will be sentenced at their own hearings in the coming months. Garnett has said she would seek to make sure all the sentences made sense in relation to one another.
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