Doctor Sentenced In Death Of ‘Friends’ Actor Matthew Perry

A San Diego physician who helped sell ketamine to the late ‘Friends’ actor Matthew Perry avoided prison on Tuesday and was instead sentenced to home confinement.

U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett sentenced Dr. Mark Chavez, a 55-year-old former physician from San Diego, to eight months of home confinement, three years of supervised release, and 300 hours of community service.

Chavez had pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine in connection with the 2023 death of actor Matthew Perry.

Chavez admitted to obtaining ketamine through fraudulent means, including false representations to a wholesale distributor and a prescription issued in a former patient’s name without consent. He supplied the drug to another physician, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who then provided it to Perry in the weeks before the actor’s death. Authorities noted that the ketamine Chavez supplied was used by Perry but was not the dose that caused his fatal overdose on October 28, 2023.

During the sentencing hearing in a Los Angeles federal courtroom, Chavez addressed the court directly. Drawing from his experience as an emergency room doctor, he spoke of delivering difficult news to families and expressed understanding of grief.

“My heart goes out to the Perry family,” he said. His attorney, Matthew Binninger, highlighted Chavez’s early cooperation with investigators, voluntary surrender of his DEA license and medical credentials, and remorse, describing the outcome as “fair and just.”

Judge Garnett acknowledged these factors in opting for home confinement over incarceration. She noted that while Chavez bore responsibility for contributing to Perry’s access to the drug, his role was less direct than others in the case. Prosecutors had recommended a lighter sentence due to his assistance in the investigation.

In contrast, Plasencia, who directly administered ketamine to Perry and charged high prices, was sentenced earlier in December 2025 to 30 months in federal prison. Court documents revealed text exchanges between the two doctors discussing profits from Perry, underscoring the financial motive.

Chavez becomes the second of five defendants to be sentenced in the federal case. The others — Perry’s personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, acquaintance Erik Fleming, and alleged dealer Jasveen Sangha — have pleaded guilty and await sentencing in early 2026.

The case has drawn attention to the off-label use and potential misuse of ketamine, a Schedule III controlled substance approved for anesthesia but sometimes prescribed for depression.