Doctor who helped supply Matthew Perry ketamine pleads guilty to drug charge

LOS ANGELES -- One of the two doctors charged in connection with Matthew Perry's ketamine death pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine to the "Friends" star.

Mark Chavez appeared in Los Angeles federal court on Wednesday for a change of plea hearing.

Chavez confirmed to the judge that he distributed ketamine for money and understood the purpose of the conspiracy before pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death and serious bodily injury.

His sentencing has been scheduled for April 2, 2025. He remains out on bond.

Chavez's attorney, Matthew Binninger, said the doctor has "accepted responsibility."

"He [pleaded] guilty. He admitted a lot of facts on the record. He's cooperating with the government," Binninger told reporters following Wednesday's hearing. "He's taken this incredibly seriously."

RELATED: Why legal experts say it's important to prosecute celebrity drug deaths and the message it sends

Chavez had initially pleaded not guilty to the count at his arraignment in August, though his lawyer noted at the time that he would later change his plea.

"He is trying to do everything in his power to right the wrong that happened here," Binninger told reporters following the arraignment. "He is doing everything in his power to cooperate, to help in this situation, and he's incredibly remorseful."

As part of a plea agreement, Chavez agreed to give up his medical license. Binninger said Wednesday that Chavez has begun the process of surrendering his medical license.

Chavez faces up to 10 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Chavez is one of five people facing federal charges in the wake of Perry's death from a ketamine overdose at his home on Oct. 28, 2023, at the age of 54. The "Friends" actor was discovered unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home, police said. An autopsy report revealed he died from the acute effects of ketamine.

The Department of Justice claims Chavez was part of an underground criminal network that used Perry as a personal piggy bank by illegally selling him ketamine.

Chavez, 54, has admitted to selling ketamine to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 42, a licensed medical doctor he has known for at least 20 years, with the understanding it would be sold to Perry, who was struggling with a ketamine addiction, according to prosecutors.

Plasencia is a lead defendant in the case, along with Jasveen Sangha, 41, a woman allegedly known as "The Ketamine Queen," who is accused of selling Perry the batch of ketamine that killed him, the DOJ said. Both pleaded not guilty following their arrest in August.

RELATED: Matthew Perry death: How can doctors charged continue to practice after arrest?

Also charged were Eric Fleming, 54, who admitted in court documents that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry, and Perry's live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, who admitted in court documents to administering the ketamine on the day Perry died, the DOJ said. Both have pleaded guilty to their respective charges and have signed plea agreements that have been entered, prosecutors said. Fleming is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 30 and Iwamasa on Nov. 6.

According to a plea agreement filed on Aug. 15 in Chavez's case, Plasencia allegedly called Chavez on Sept. 30, 2023, about obtaining ketamine for Perry, who was "willing to pay a premium." Chavez confirmed he did obtain it -- even texting a picture of ketamine lozenges -- and said he was willing to transfer the ketamine in exchange for money, according to the plea agreement.

Chavez had kept at least a dozen vials of ketamine after parting ways with a San Diego ketamine infusion clinic in July 2023, according to the plea agreement. He also took 30 ketamine lozenges he had obtained after submitting a fraudulent prescription without a patient's knowledge, according to the plea agreement.

Chavez and Plasencia met three times in September and October 2023 as part of the alleged scheme, according to the plea agreement. Chavez admitted to transferring at least 22 vials of liquid ketamine and nine ketamine lozenges, all of which he understood would be used by Perry, according to the plea agreement.

Days after their third meeting, Chavez learned the California Medical Board was investigating an allegation he had improperly taken ketamine from his former ketamine clinic, according to the plea agreement. At that point, Chavez told Plasencia he would no longer be able to obtain additional ketamine to sell to Perry, according to the plea agreement.

The Drug Enforcement Administration interviewed Chavez on Oct. 19, 2023, about the allegation, during which he denied still being in possession of the liquid ketamine taken from the clinic, according to the plea agreement. He admitted to the fraudulent prescription of ketamine lozenges but claimed he had thrown them out after they had melted inside his vehicle, according to the plea agreement.

RELATED: Ketamine: What doctors want you know about treatment that killed Matthew Perry

"At all relevant times during the interview, defendant Chavez concealed from investigators that he had, in fact, transferred ketamine to co-conspirator Plasencia," the plea agreement stated.

Plasencia's attorney, Stefan Sacks, told ABC News following Plasencia's arraignment in August that a plea deal is possible in the case. He said he plans to dispute the illegality of the services prosecutors said Plasencia provided, which Sacks likened to "concierge medicine."