Matthew Perry: Second doctor charged in ‘Friends’ actor’s overdose death sentenced

Sentencing for doctor in death of Matthew Perry

One of five defendants accused in Matthew Perry's death is set to be sentenced Tuesday.

LOS ANGELES - Mark Chavez, the second of two doctors convicted in "Friends" star Matthew Perry's death from a ketamine overdose, was sentenced Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles to eight months of home confinement and ordered to perform 300 hours of community service for illegally supplying the anesthetic drug.

What we know:

In October 2024, 55-year-old Mark Chavez, a San Diego doctor, pleaded guilty to one federal count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and subsequently surrendered his medical license. He operated a San Diego-area ketamine infusion clinic at the time of Perry's death in 2023.

Chavez is one of five defendants charged in the "Friends" actor’s death.  

Earlier this month, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, was sentenced to 2.5 years in federal prison for Perry’s death. 

RELATED: Doctor who sold Matthew Perry ketamine before his overdose sentenced

Federal prosecutors allege in late September 2023, Plasencia learned that Perry, whose history of depression and drug addiction was well documented, was interested in obtaining ketamine, a drug with medical risks that require a health care professional to monitor a patient being administered the medication.

After hearing of Perry's interest in ketamine, Plasencia contacted Chavez to obtain the drug to sell to Perry, prosecutors said.

In text messages to Chavez, Plasencia discussed how much to charge Perry for the ketamine, stating, "I wonder how much this moron will pay" and "Let's find out," according to prosecutors.

Chavez admitted to diverting ketamine from his San Diego clinic to sell to Plasencia and acknowledged that he lied to a drug distributor and submitted a prescription under the name of a former patient without their consent, court papers show.

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According to his plea agreement, Chavez transferred 22 vials of ketamine and nine ketamine lozenges -- which were fraudulently obtained -- to Plasencia for sale to Perry. Chavez "was fully aware that selling vials of ketamine to a patient for self-administration was illegal," according to the document.

Perry was paying $2,000 per vial of ketamine, while his dealers were paying $12 for each vial, papers filed in Los Angeles federal court show.

Perry’s official cause of death 

The backstory:

Perry was found dead at his Pacific Palisades home on Saturday, Oct. 28. 

In their final report, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office found that the sitcom icon died from "acute effects of ketamine." 

"Contributing factors in Mr. Perry’s death include drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder). The manner of death is accident," the medical examiner noted. 

SUGGESTED: Matthew Perry cause of death: Final coroner report released

He was 54.

Dig deeper:

All five defendants in the case have pleaded guilty.                  

Also charged were Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s live-in assistant, as well as alleged dealers Erik Fleming and Jasveen Sangha, known as the "Ketamine Queen."

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, using Plasencia-provided instructions and syringes, Iwamasa injected Perry with the ketamine that was sold to him by accused dealers Fleming and Sangha, including multiple injections on the day of the actor's death.

Fleming, 55, of Hawthorne, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 7, at which time he will face up to 25 years in federal prison.

Iwamasa, 60, of Toluca Lake, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14, at which time he will face up to 15 years in federal prison.

Sangha, 42, pleaded guilty in September 2025 to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. She faces up to 65 years behind bars, prosecutors said.