Doctor expected to formally plead guilty in connection to Matthew Perry's death
A doctor from San Diego is expected to formally plead guilty for his connection to the death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry on Wednesday.
During his initial court appearance last month, 54-year-old Mark Chavez did not enter a plea to the presiding judge but agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
As part of the plea deal, Chavez admitted to taking prescription drugs from his former employer, a San Diego-based ketamine infusion clinic. He allegedly conspired with another doctor, Salvador Plasencia, to supply Perry with ketamine.
"Ketamine is a controlled substance. It has some legitimate uses but it is also used illegally," U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada said when announcing the charges related to Perry's death.
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, ketamine is a Schedule III drug which is the same categorization for Tylenol with codeine, anabolic steroids and testosterone.
Authorities found Perry in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home. The actor's autopsy report listed his cause of death as "acute effects of ketamine" with contributing factors listed as "drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects." According to the National Institutes of Health, Buprenorphine is a synthetic opioid typically used to treat pain and opioid use disorders.
"These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves," Estrada said.
After learning of Perry's death, Chavez allegedly called Plasencia to ask if he was concerned that the ketamine they dealt to Perry was the cause of his death.
"[Chavez is] incredibly remorseful for what happened — not just because it happened to Matthew Perry but because it happened to a patient," attorney Matthew Binninger said. "He's trying to do everything in his power to right the wrong that happened here."
After posting a $50,000 bond, a federal judge ordered Chavez to surrender his medical license and barred him from practicing medicine. Records from the Medical Board of California show the La Jolla physician's license was suspended and he is not permitted to practice.
Chavez and Plascencia are two of the five people facing federal charges for Perry's death.
Estrada claimed the group distributed "large quantities" of ketamine to Perry and others as part of a "broad underground criminal network."
"They knew what they were doing was wrong," he said. "They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr. Perry, but they did it anyways. In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr. Perry than caring for his well-being."
