Matthew Perry Death: Second Doctor Sentenced to Home Confinement in Ketamine Overdose Case

Matthew Perry, aged 53, passed away in October 2023.

On Tuesday, a second California physician received an eight-month home confinement sentence for illegally providing ketamine to "Friends" actor Matthew Perry, whose death resulted from an overdose of this powerful sedative while in his hot tub in 2023.

Dr. Mark Chavez, 55, formerly practicing in San Diego, entered a guilty plea in federal court to a single felony count of conspiracy to distribute the prescription anesthetic and subsequently surrendered his medical license in November.

Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett additionally ordered Chavez to complete 300 hours of community service.

In his plea agreement, Chavez admitted to selling ketamine to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 44, who then provided the drug to Perry, though not the specific dose that resulted in the actor's death.

Plasencia, who pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful drug distribution, received a 2 1/2 year prison sentence earlier this month.

These two physicians are the first among five individuals convicted in connection with Perry's ketamine-induced death to receive their sentences.

The three others awaiting sentencing in upcoming weeks include Jasveen Sangha, 42, a drug dealer known as the "Ketamine Queen;" Erik Fleming, 56, an intermediary dealer; and Perry's former personal assistant, Iwamasa, 60.

Sangha acknowledged supplying the fatal dose of ketamine, while Iwamasa admitted to injecting Perry with the drug. Iwamasa later discovered Perry, 54, unconscious and face down in the jacuzzi at his Los Angeles residence on October 28, 2023.

The autopsy report determined that the actor died from "acute effects of ketamine," which, combined with other factors, caused him to lose consciousness and drown.

Perry had openly discussed his decades-long struggle with substance abuse, including during his years portraying Chandler Bing on the popular 1990s NBC television series "Friends."

According to federal law enforcement officials, Perry had been receiving ketamine infusions to treat depression and anxiety at a clinic where he developed an addiction to the substance.

When physicians at the clinic refused to increase his dosage, he sought out unethical providers willing to exploit his dependency for financial gain, authorities reported.

Ketamine is a short-acting anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties sometimes prescribed for depression and other psychiatric disorders. It has also become widely abused as an illicit recreational drug.