Executive Summary
- Dr. Mark Chavez is scheduled for sentencing Tuesday in federal court for conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
- Chavez admitted to diverting ketamine from his clinic and using fraudulent prescriptions to supply the drug to Matthew Perry.
- Co-defendant Dr. Salvador Plasencia was previously sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.
- All five defendants charged in connection with the actor’s 2023 overdose death have pleaded guilty.
Dr. Mark Chavez, a San Diego-based physician, is scheduled to appear in a Los Angeles federal court on Tuesday for sentencing regarding his admitted involvement in the fatal ketamine overdose of actor Matthew Perry. Chavez, 55, previously pleaded guilty to one federal count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, acknowledging his role in supplying the anesthetic that contributed to the actor’s death in October 2023.
According to federal prosecutors, Chavez operated a ketamine infusion clinic in San Diego and diverted the controlled substance to sell to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, a co-conspirator in the case. Court documents reveal that Chavez admitted to transferring 22 vials of ketamine and nine ketamine lozenges to Plasencia. He further acknowledged obtaining portions of the supply by submitting a fraudulent prescription in the name of a former patient without their consent.
The plea agreement details that Chavez and Plasencia supplied the drug to Perry beginning in September 2023. Prosecutors cited text messages between the physicians discussing pricing, with Plasencia writing, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.” Court filings indicate that while the doctors paid approximately $12 per vial, they charged Perry $2,000 for the same amount. Chavez has since surrendered his medical license.
Dr. Plasencia was sentenced on December 3 to two and a half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine. Prosecutors state that all five defendants charged in connection with Perry’s death have entered guilty pleas. This includes Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, and Jasveen Sangha, an alleged dealer known as the “Ketamine Queen,” who is scheduled for sentencing on February 25.
Judicial Oversight and Medical Accountability
The sentencing of Dr. Chavez marks a significant phase in the federal effort to hold medical professionals criminally liable for diverting controlled substances. By targeting licensed physicians alongside illicit distributors, the Department of Justice is reinforcing the legal precedent that medical credentials do not shield practitioners from drug trafficking charges when the standard of care is abandoned for financial gain. This case also draws attention to the regulatory challenges surrounding the distribution of ketamine as its therapeutic use expands. It is important to note that while the defendants in this case have entered guilty pleas, the judicial process ensures that penalties are levied in accordance with specific federal sentencing guidelines and the individual degree of culpability.
