Doctor who helped sell ketamine to Matthew Perry avoids prison time

Matthew Perry starred in Friends (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

A doctor who pleaded guilty in a scheme to supply ketamine to actor Matthew Perry before his overdose death has been sentenced to eight months of home confinement.

Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence that included three years of supervised release to 55-year-old Dr Mark Chavez in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles.

Before the sentence was delivered, Chavez addressed the judge and said he had lost a loved one recently and understood the grief that Perry’s death has caused.

“I just want to say my heart goes out to the Perry family,” he said.

Chavez acquired ketamine and gave it to Dr Salvador Plasencia, who was sentenced to two and a half years in prison earlier this month for selling ketamine to Perry in the months leading up to his death.

Dr Mark Chavez said his ‘heart goes out to the Perry family’ (AP)

Chavez’s lawyers emphasised the difference between the two doctors and said that Chavez “accepted responsibility early” by co-operating with investigators and voluntarily giving up his medical licence ahead of his detention hearing.

“These are real steps that someone takes towards accountability,” lawyer Matthew Binninger said.

He called the sentence a “fair and just outcome” for the case.

Perry had been taking the surgical anaesthetic ketamine legally as a treatment for depression. But when his regular doctor would not provide it in the amounts he wanted, he turned to Plasencia.

Plasencia admitted to taking advantage of Perry, knowing he was a struggling addict. Plasencia texted Chavez that Perry was a “moron” who could be exploited for money, according to court filings.

Chavez admitted to obtaining the ketamine from a wholesale distributor on false pretences and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He has not been in custody.

Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest TV 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.

Chavez is the second person to be sentenced of the five defendants who have pleaded guilty in connection with Perry’s death at the age of 54 in 2023.

Perry was found dead by his assistant on October 28. The medical examiner ruled ketamine was the primary cause of death.

The other three defendants who reached deals to plead guilty will be sentenced at their own hearings in the coming months.