California physician Mark Chavez exits federal court in Los Angeles on 2 October 2024. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP) Dr Mark Chavez pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine before Matthew Perry's overdose death.
Chavez faces up to 10 years in prison and is banned from practicing medicine. Co-defendants Salvador Plasencia and Jasveen Sangha deny charges and await trial in March. One of two doctors charged in connection with the drug overdose death of Friends star Matthew Perry pleaded guilty in a US court on Wednesday.
Mark Chavez, 54, faces up to 10 years in prison after admitting to conspiring to distribute ketamine in the weeks before the actor was found dead in the pool of his Los Angeles home. Appearing before US District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in a Los Angeles court, the bespectacled Chavez answered a series of questions before entering his plea of "Guilty, your honour." Perry's lengthy struggles with substance addiction were well-documented, but his death in October 2023 sent shockwaves through the global legions of Friends fans.
A criminal investigation was launched soon after an autopsy discovered the actor had high levels of ketamine - an anesthetic - in his system. Two others caught in the dragnet - a live-in assistant and an acquaintance - have already pleaded guilty to their charges. Another doctor - Salvador Plasencia - allegedly bought ketamine off Chavez and sold it to the desperate star at hugely inflated prices, musing: I wonder how much this moron.