One of the doctors swept up in the legal aftermath of Matthew Perry’s death has managed to sidestep prison — just barely.
Mark Chavez, a physician now permanently disgraced, was handed eight months of home confinement this week, a far cry from the ten-year sentence he could have faced.
For many watching the case unfold, the punishment will feel jarringly light given the name attached to it and the life that was lost.
From Courtroom to Couch Arrest
Chavez is the second of two doctors convicted over their role in the Friends star’s fatal ketamine overdose in 2023.
He admitted last year to conspiring to distribute ketamine after acknowledging he supplied the drug — obtained under false pretences — to fellow doctor Salvador Plasencia.
The court accepted that Chavez didn’t deliver the dose that killed Perry.
But prosecutors were clear: both doctors knew about the actor’s long history of addiction and understood the ketamine would be used outside any legitimate medical setting.
A Career in Ruins, the Defence Says
Chavez’s lawyers leaned heavily on what they called punishment already served.
In filings submitted earlier this month, they painted a bleak picture of a man who has lost everything.
No medical licence. No practice. No savings. No reputation.
According to his defence, Chavez now survives by driving for ride-share apps, earning a modest income after watching his professional life collapse entirely.
They urged the judge to factor in the devastation of his fall from grace when deciding his sentence.
A Stark Contrast With a Colleague’s Fate
The outcome stands in sharp contrast to the sentence given to Plasencia.
Earlier this month, he was sent to federal prison for 30 months after pleading guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine.
The disparity has raised eyebrows, particularly given how closely the two doctors worked together — and the messages they left behind.
The Texts That Haunted the Courtroom
Among the most damning evidence were text messages exchanged between Chavez and Plasencia as they discussed selling ketamine to Perry.
In one message, Plasencia wrote words that would later reverberate through the courtroom: “I wonder how much this moron will pay.”
That line became central to a devastating victim impact statement submitted by Perry’s stepfather, journalist Keith Morrison.
A Stepfather’s Anger, Put Into Words
Morrison didn’t hold back. He accused the doctors of betraying the most sacred responsibilities of their profession, describing secret late-night meetings and calculated exploitation.
“For what?” he asked. “A few thousand dollars?”
He wrote that his stepson’s vulnerability was treated as an opportunity, not a warning — and that the chilling text message summed up everything that went wrong.
How Perry Ended Up Here
Matthew Perry was found dead by his assistant on October 28, 2023, submerged in his hot tub.
The medical examiner later ruled ketamine intoxication as the primary cause of death, with drowning as a contributing factor.
At the time, Perry had been receiving ketamine legally from his regular doctor as an off-label treatment for depression — a practice that has gained traction in recent years.
But the amounts he wanted began to exceed what that doctor was willing to prescribe.
The Deal That Changed Everything
Roughly a month before his death, Perry connected with Plasencia, who then turned to Chavez to source additional ketamine.
On the same day as the infamous text exchange, the two doctors met in Costa Mesa — a midpoint between Los Angeles and San Diego — and handed over at least four vials of the drug.
Plasencia later sold the ketamine to Perry for $4,500 and quickly floated the idea of making Perry a regular customer, hoping to turn the actor into his “go-to.”
More Sentences Still to Come
The legal reckoning isn’t over yet. Several others connected to Perry’s final months are still awaiting sentencing, including his live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, alleged dealer Erik Fleming, and a woman prosecutors have dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,” Jasveen Sangha.
Their fates will be decided in the coming weeks — as the shadow of a beloved actor’s death continues to loom large over every courtroom decision.
What’s Next?
For many fans, the story still feels unresolved.
A life ended, careers destroyed, and sentences handed down that leave lingering questions about accountability — and whether justice, in this case, will ever feel complete.
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