Doctor who helped supply Matthew Perry ketamine pleads guilty to drug charge
A San Diego doctor charged in connection with Matthew Perry's fatal overdose has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A San Diego doctor became the third person to plead guilty in the case of Matthew Perry ’s fatal drug overdose, as prosecutors collect cooperators in an attempt to convict two bigger targets they say are responsible for the death of the “Friends” star.
Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, entered the plea Wednesday to a felony count of conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine in federal court in Los Angeles, after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors in July.
Chavez agreed to cooperate as the U.S. Attorneys Office pursues more serious charges against Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who prosecutors say gave ketamine directly to Perry. The other major target in the investigation is Jasmine Sangha, an alleged dealer who prosecutors say was known as the “ketamine queen” of Los Angeles and supplied the doses that killed Perry last year.
Chavez stood in court with his lawyer and answered dozens of questions from Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett. He agreed to give up his right to trial and other rights.
