Dr. Mark Chavez, one of two doctors charged in connection with the fatal overdose of actor Matthew Perry, made his first appearance in a federal court in Los Angeles after reaching a deal to plead guilty and cooperate with prosecutors. Chavez is expected to be the third person to plead guilty following the death of the Friends star last year. He has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as they pursue others connected to the case, including the doctor he worked with in selling ketamine to Perry.
Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, of San Diego, stood in court with his lawyer and told a judge he understood his rights. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jean P. Rosenbluth informed him that he could remain free on bond with several restrictions, including surrendering his passport and not working as a doctor. Chavez signed an agreement with prosecutors earlier this month to plead guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine. He has not yet entered his guilty plea or spoken about the case but will do so at a later date.
Chavez’s lawyer, Matthew Binninger, said that Chavez is “incredibly remorseful” and “trying to do everything in his power to right the wrong that happened here.” Binninger added, “He’s doing everything in his power to cooperate and help with this situation.” Chavez would be the third person to plead guilty in the aftermath of Perry’s death.
In addition to Chavez, prosecutors are working with Perry’s assistant, who admitted to helping him obtain and inject ketamine, and a Perry acquaintance, who admitted to acting as a drug messenger and middleman. The three are assisting prosecutors in their pursuit of Dr. Salvador Plasencia, charged with illegally selling ketamine to Perry in the month before his death, and Jasveen Sangha, a woman authorities say is a dealer who sold the actor the lethal dose of ketamine.
Both Plasencia and Sangha have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial. They are set to appear in court for a status conference on Wednesday. Chavez admitted in his plea agreement that he obtained ketamine from his former clinic and a wholesale distributor where he submitted a fraudulent prescription. After selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500, Plasencia asked Chavez if he could continue supplying them so they could become Perry’s “go-to.
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in announcing the charges on August 15 that “the doctors preyed on Perry’s history of addiction in the final months of his life last year to provide him with ketamine in amounts they knew were dangerous.” Plasencia is charged with seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two charges related to allegations he falsified records after Perry’s death. He and Sangha are scheduled to return to court next week, with separate trial dates set for October. However, prosecutors are seeking a single trial that likely would be delayed to next year.
Matthew Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing. He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC’s megahit sitcom.
