The second of two doctors convicted in connection with the ketamine death of Matthew Perry was sentenced Tuesday to eight months of house arrest for his role in a conspiracy to illegally distribute ketamine to the “Friends” actor.
Mark Chavez is one of five people charged and convicted in connection with Perry’s 2023 overdose death. He pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, admitting to selling fraudulently obtained ketamine to another doctor, Salvador Plasencia, which was then sold to Perry in the weeks before the actor died of an overdose.
The two doctors did not provide the ketamine that ultimately killed Perry, who was discovered unconscious in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home in October 2023 at the age of 54. Although federal prosecutors said they knew the actor had a history of substance abuse and that the drug would be administered without medical supervision.
Former doctor Mark Chavez and his attorney Matthew Binninger (R) arrive for his sentencing on charges of conspiracy to distribute ketamine related to the overdose death of actor Matthew Perry in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Dec. 16, 2025.
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Chavez’s sentence also includes three years of supervised release and 300 hours of community service.
He faced up to 10 years in prison, prosecutors said.
The government asked for a sentence of six months of home confinement that included two years of supervised release and at least 300 hours of community service. Prosecutors said Chavez, a former ketamine clinic operator, provided Plasencia with vials of liquid ketamine and ketamine pills that had been obtained by submitting a fraudulent prescription in the name of a patient without that patient’s knowledge or consent.
“As DEA and Medical Board investigators closed in on the defendant’s illegal ketamine sales, the defendant initially lied and attempted to evade responsibility,” the government said in a filing ahead of sentencing. “However, to the defendant’s credit, his story continued and became one of accountability.”
The government said that once confronted with his criminal acts, Chavez “quickly accepted responsibility and agreed to cooperate with the government’s investigation.”
Chavez’s defense attorneys requested three years of supervised release, arguing in a pre-sentence brief that his conduct was “limited and peripheral” and “far removed from the tragic events of October 28, 2023.”
They noted that Chavez never met Perry, entered his home or administered medication to him, and that he did not provide him with the ketamine that caused his death. They also said he “accepted responsibility from the beginning in this case and signed a plea agreement prior to any charges, agreed to cooperate, and voluntarily surrendered his medical license even before his detention hearing.”
“The consequences Mr. Chavez has already faced are significant,” wrote his attorneys, Matthew Binninger and Zach Brooks. “He was once an emergency room doctor, lost his profession, suffered public disgrace, and now makes a living as an Uber driver. He has complied with all terms of pretrial supervision and continues to demonstrate sincere remorse for his actions.”
Both Chávez and Plasencia renounced their medical licenses after pleading guilty.
Matthew Perry of TV’s ‘The Kennedys – After Camelot’ speaks on stage during the REELZChannel portion of the 2017 Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour on January 13, 2017 in Pasadena, California.
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According to Plasencia’s plea agreement, one of his patients introduced him to Perry on Sept. 30, 2023, and the unnamed patient referred to the actor as a “‘high-profile person’ who was seeking ketamine and was willing to pay ‘cash and many thousands’ for ketamine treatment,” according to Plasencia’s plea agreement.
Plasencia contacted his mentor, Chavez, to discuss Perry’s ketamine request and purchased vials of liquid ketamine and ketamine pills from him, according to the agreement.
When discussing how much to charge Perry, Plasencia said in text messages to Chavez: “I wonder how much this idiot will pay” and “Come on [sic] find out,” prosecutors said.
Plasencia admitted to distributing 20 vials of ketamine, ketamine pills and syringes to Perry and the actor’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, between September 30, 2023 and October 12, 2023.
Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry at the actor’s home on several occasions and left vials and pills for Iwamasa to administer, according to the plea agreement.
Plasencia was sentenced to 30 months in prison earlier this month.
Iwamasa admitted in court documents to administering ketamine on the day Perry died, and pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. His sentencing is scheduled for January 14, 2026, and he faces up to 15 years in prison.
Two other defendants in the case, Erik Fleming and Jasveen Sangha, admitted to distributing the ketamine that killed Perry.
Prosecutors said Sangha worked with Fleming to distribute ketamine to Perry and that in October 2023, they sold the actor 51 vials of ketamine, which were provided to Iwamasa.
Fleming pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 7, 2026, and faces up to 25 years in prison.
Sangha, allegedly known as “The Ketamine Queen,” pleaded guilty in September to one count of maintaining a drug premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 25, 2026, and faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
