Current:Home > MarketsDoctor charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death is expected to plead guilty -MoneySpot
Doctor charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death is expected to plead guilty
View
Date:2025-04-13 05:38:37
LOS ANGELES (AP) — One of two doctors charged in the investigation of the death of Matthew Perry is expected to plead guilty Wednesday in a federal court in Los Angeles to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine.
Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, of San Diego, signed a plea agreement with prosecutors in August and would be the third person to plead guilty in the aftermath of the “Friends” star’s fatal overdose last year.
Prosecutors offered lesser charges to Chavez and two others in exchange for their cooperation as they go after two targets they deem more responsible for the overdose death: another doctor and an alleged dealer that they say was known as “ketamine queen” of Los Angeles.
Chavez is free on bond after turning over his passport and surrendering his medical license, among other conditions.
His lawyer Matthew Binninger said after Chavez’s first court appearance on Aug. 30 that he is “incredibly remorseful” and is “trying to do everything in his power to right the wrong that happened here.”
Also working with federal prosecutors are Perry’s assistant, who admitted to helping him obtain and inject ketamine, and a Perry acquaintance, who admitted to acting as a drug messenger and middleman.
The three are helping prosecutors in their prosecution of Dr. Salvador Plasencia, charged with illegally selling ketamine to Perry in the month before his death, and Jasveen Sangha, a woman who authorities say sold the actor the lethal dose of ketamine. Both have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
Chavez admitted in his plea agreement that he obtained ketamine from his former clinic and from a wholesale distributor where he submitted a fraudulent prescription.
After a guilty plea, he could get up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced.
Perry was found dead by his assistant on Oct. 28. The medical examiner ruled ketamine was the primary cause of death. The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression that has become increasingly common.
Perry began seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him. About a month before the actor’s death, he found Plasencia, who in turn asked Chavez to obtain the drug for him.
“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia texted Chavez. The two met up the same day in Costa Mesa, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, and exchanged at least four vials of ketamine.
After selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500, Plasencia asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them so they could become Perry’s “go-to.”
Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on “Friends,” when he became one of the biggest 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 on NBC’s megahit sitcom.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Winners and losers of college football's Week 10: Georgia, Oklahoma State have big days
- Parents of Northwestern State player Ronnie Caldwell file wrongful death lawsuit against coach
- Afghans fleeing Pakistan lack water, food and shelter once they cross the border, aid groups say
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- Connor Stalions, Michigan football staffer at center of sign-stealing scandal, resigns
- Boy killed in Cincinnati shooting that wounded 5 others, some juveniles, police say
- Afghan farmers lose income of more than $1 billion after the Taliban banned poppy cultivation
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Birmingham-Southern College leader confident school can complete academic year despite money woes
Ranking
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Still swirling in winds of controversy, trainer Bob Baffert resolved to 'keep the noise out'
- Did the Beatles song 'Now and Then' lead you to gently weep? You weren't alone
- Did the Beatles song 'Now and Then' lead you to gently weep? You weren't alone
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Minneapolis police investigating another fire at a mosque
- Israel tightens encirclement of Gaza City as Blinken urges more civilian protection — or else there will be no partners for peace
- Highly pathogenic avian flu detected at Alabama chicken farm, nearly 48K birds killed
Recommendation
'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
US, Arab countries disagree on need for cease-fire; Israeli strikes kill civilians: Updates
Fatal vehicle crash kills 4 in Maryland
Proof Nick Carter’s Love of Fatherhood Is Larger Than Life
Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
Israeli forces advance on Gaza as more Americans leave war-torn territory
Nepal earthquake kills more than 150 people after houses collapse
Live updates | Israeli warplanes hit refugee camp in Gaza Strip, killing at least 33 people