Mark Chavez gets eight months of house arrest for supplying Matthew Perry with ketamine. The “Friends” star died of a drug overdose in 2023.
California doctor Mark Chavez was convicted by a court for his actions in the Matthew Perry case. The “Friends” star died of a ketamine overdose in 2023. The doctor received a sentence of eight months of house arrest, supervised release and 300 hours of community service.
Pleaded guilty
The 55-year-old pleaded guilty last year to supplying the actor with the drug. According to his lawyer, he also showed great remorse for his actions. There were subsequently various demands regarding the sentence. Among other things, up to a year in prison was on the table, while others only called for six months of house arrest, considering that the doctor was “particularly cooperative”.
As the US “Rolling Stone” reports, when asked whether he would like to speak in court, Mark Chavez made the following statement and reflected on his long career: “I have been very fortunate to be able to help many people, but I have also experienced a lot of tragedy and death and have had to break the news of the death of a loved one to relatives. That is why I take this task very seriously.” He added: “I just want to say that my heart goes out to the Perry family.”
Lesser sentence than main defendant
According to Rolling Stone, the judge in charge said she was concerned about the large difference in sentence between the convicted man and his co-defendant Salvador Plasencia, who was sentenced to 30 months in prison two weeks earlier. In 2023, the doctor sold at least 22 vials of liquid ketamine to Matthew Perry, which had previously been supplied to him by Mark Chavez. As a result, the actor was found dead in his hot tub on October 28, 2023. Among the five accomplices of the main defendant, the 55-year-old doctor worked closely with Salvador Plasencia.
US Attorney Ian Yanniello defended his request for a lighter sentence by saying his client reprimanded the main defendant after he injected the “Friends” star with ketamine in a car. In addition, the doctor “took responsibility and agreed to cooperate,” while his accomplice “falsified documents” to cover his tracks.
“You at least helped Mr. Perry continue his tragic path by continuing to feed his addiction,” the judge said during Mark Chavez’s trial, according to Rolling Stone. However, she also noted that the 55-year-old “backed away” from providing the actor with ketamine after he suffered from high blood pressure while receiving another dose of the drug from Salvador Plasencia. “Mr Plasencia continued to ask whether after that date [Perry] want to buy more. They withdrew. I give you great credit for that,” said the judge.
Statements about other defendants
As part of a deal, Mark Chavez agreed to help investigators in the cases of Salvador Plasencia and Jasveen Sangha, dubbed the “Ketamine Queen.” According to the authorities, both actors are the main defendants in the Matthew Perry case. The other defendants, Kenneth Iwamasa and Erik Flemming, agreed to deals like the doctor.
Jasveen Sangha admitted in August to selling 25 vials of liquid ketamine to Matthew Perry on October 14, 2023. Ten days later there were another 25. On the day of the actor’s death, she was the one who gave him the fatal overdose.
Mark Chavez himself supplied Salvador Plasencia with syringes and gloves, which he used to administer ketamine to the star. Mark Chavez later submitted a fake order form stating he was still working for his former employer, thereby providing a steady supply of the drug to sell to Perry.
According to US “Rolling Stone”, Matthew Perry’s family stayed away from the doctor’s trial.