In a shocking turn of events, a second physician involved in the tragic overdose case of Matthew Perry has been sentenced to eight months of home confinement. This ruling was made on Tuesday and comes as a result of Dr. Mark Chavez's illegal distribution of ketamine, the potent sedative that led to the untimely death of the beloved "Friends" actor in a hot tub in 2023.
Dr. Mark Chavez, who is 55 years old and previously practiced medicine in San Diego, entered a guilty plea in federal court in October on a felony charge related to conspiracy for distributing this prescription anesthetic. Following this, he voluntarily surrendered his medical license in November, effectively ending his medical career.
Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett also mandated that Chavez complete 300 hours of community service as part of his sentence. In his plea deal, Chavez admitted to selling ketamine to another doctor, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, aged 44, who then provided the drug to Perry. However, it was important to note that the specific dose given to Perry was not the one that resulted in his death.
Earlier this month, Plasencia was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of unlawful drug distribution. Both Chavez and Plasencia were among the first two of five individuals convicted in connection with Perry's death due to ketamine, and they have already begun serving their sentences.
Three additional individuals are scheduled for sentencing in the weeks to come. These include Jasveen Sangha, 42, a dealer dubbed the "Ketamine Queen;" Erik Fleming, 56, who acted as an intermediary dealer; and Iwamasa, 60, who was Perry's former personal assistant. Notably, Sangha has confessed to providing the very dose of ketamine that led to Perry's death, while Iwamasa admitted to being the one who injected the drug into Perry. Tragically, it was Iwamasa who discovered Perry, aged 54, lifeless and face down in the jacuzzi at his Los Angeles residence on October 28, 2023.
The autopsy report determined that Perry’s death resulted from the acute effects of ket
