One of the two physicians charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death appeared in a Los Angeles court on Friday as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors and was freed on a $50,000 bond.
Dr. Mark Chavez has plans to enter a plea of guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry, who died in October 2023 at age 54 because of “acute effects” of the surgical anesthetic and subsequent drowning, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy report. His body was found floating face down in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home.
In the largely procedural hearing, Chavez acknowledged the charges and waived his right to a grand jury indictment. He is expected to be back in court in late October to formalize the agreement, according to his attorney.
Chavez is one of five people who have been charged in connection with the death of the beloved actor. Three of the individuals charged are cooperating with prosecutors as they focus on defendants Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Jasveen Sangha, who prosecutors have said ran what amounted to “a drug selling emporium” in her home
Plasenscia and Sangha have pleaded not guilty to respective charges that include falsifying medical records and conspiracy to distribute among others. They are due in court next week.
Chavez provided Plasencia with the ketamine given to Perry through a fraudulent prescription, according to a document outlining the allegations against him.
Chavez, 54, received his medical degree in 2004 from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, according to his website, which advertises tailored health services.
He describes his role as “helping his clients obtain optimum health and longevity through personalized coaching,” the website states.
Chavez was affiliated with the clinic Dreamscape Ketamine until he got into an argument with his business partner in July 2023 and took all the prescription drugs – including ketamine – because the partner was not a medical doctor, his plea agreement states.
Before Perry’s death, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Medical Board of California had already launched an investigation into Chavez after he lied and said he transferred or disposed of the ketamine, according to his plea agreement.
Chavez has surrendered his medical license in accordance with the plea agreement, Binninger said.
“Even when he can reapply that would be very difficult, Binninger added. [My] guess is he’s going to have to pivot into a new way of living.”
“Matthew Perry was larger than life… he was a human being that people cared about,” Binninger told reporters before the hearing. “Had it been a non-celebrity, I can assure you we’d be playing things out the exact same way, because the federal government did a really good job in the investigation.”
The maximum recommended sentence outlined in the plea documentation is 10 years in prison.
