Matthew Perry doc ordered not to practice medicine
LOS ANGELES—A doctor who has agreed to plead guilty in connection with the overdose death of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry was ordered Friday by a judge not to practice medicine.
Mark Chavez, 54, who will admit conspiracy to distribute ketamine as part of a plea deal reached with authorities, was released on $50,000 bond at a Los Angeles court.
Chavez is one of five people facing federal charges over the October 2023 tragedy in which Perry, a longtime addict, was found unresponsive in the pool at his luxury Los Angeles home.
Two others caught in the dragnet—a live-in assistant and an acquaintance—have already agreed to plead guilty to their charges.
Middleman
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 will pay.”
Jasveen Sangha, the alleged “Ketamine Queen” who supplied drugs to high-end clients and celebrities, is charged with selling Perry the dose that killed him.
Both Plasencia and Sangha face one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, as well as a raft of other charges, which they have denied.
Trials set
Their trials have been set for October, and both face lengthy prison terms if found guilty.
Chavez, who admitted in his plea agreement to selling ketamine to Plasencia, including doses that he had diverted from his former ketamine clinic, is expected to formally enter his plea in the coming days or weeks.
Perry played Chandler Bing on the hit TV sitcom from 1994 to 2004 and talked openly of his battles with addiction.
He had been taking ketamine, a controlled drug, as part of supervised therapy.
Doctors and veterinarians use ketamine as an anesthetic, and researchers have explored its use as a treatment for depression.
