Mark Chavez, one of the doctors being charged in the death of Matthew Perry, has pleaded guilty to one federal count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison, with sentencing set for April 2nd.
“Chavez has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and has signed a plea agreement,” the Justice Department said. “At his arraignment [United States Magistrate Judge Jean P. Rosenbluth] will set a date for Chavez’s change of plea proceeding – or direct the parties to contact the chambers of the federal district judge assigned to the case to set the hearing date.“
During a previous hearing, Chavez was released on a $500,000 bond and was stripped of his medical license. His attorney, Matthew Binninger, has said that Chavez is “incredibly remorseful” for his role in Perry’s death. The actor was just 54 years old when he died last October from the “acute effects of ketamine.” The autopsy report also mentioned contributing factors, including drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid use disorder.
Chavez is one of five defendants who are being charged in connection with the death of the Friends star. Erik Fleming has also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s live-in assistant, also pleaded guilty to a felony count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death. However, the two other defendants, Jasveen Sangha, aka the Ketamine Queen, and Dr. Salvador Plasencia, have pleaded not guilty to one count each of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and are tentatively scheduled to go on trial on March 4th.
Matthew Perry is best known for playing Chandler Bing on Friends, one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. The show recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, but series co-creator Marta Kauffman said that Perry’s absence made the event bittersweet. “It’s a huge loss, and it does make the 30th a little fraught,” she said. All eleven seasons of the series were released on 4K Ultra HD last month (buy it here). The set includes all 236 original broadcast episodes released for the first time in 4K, with over 20 hours of special features, including some all-new bonus content.
