One of Matthew Perry's Doctors Agrees to Plea Deal in Ketamine-Related Death Case

The case surrounding Matthew Perry's death continues. 

During an Aug. 30 hearing, a judge allowed for Mark Chavez—one of the five people charged in connection to the Friends alum's October 2023 death—to move forward with a plea deal, according to NBC News.

Chavez was arraigned on one count of conspiring to distribute ketamine, and per the outlet is set to plead guilty at a later date.

For now, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jean Rosenbluth has allowed the 54-year-old's release on a $50,000 unsecured bond and certain conditions, including the surrender of his passport and that he agrees to no longer practice medicine. E! News had previously confirmed with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that he had also surrendered his registration to write prescriptions.

Chavez—who could face up to 10 years in prison, per NBC News—told the judge during his hearing, "I do agree to obey to all conditions."

Following the hearing, Chavez's lawyer Matthew Binninger told reporters outside the courthouse that his client was "incredibly remorseful."

"He has already entered into an interim suspension of his medical license," he added, per NBC News, "so he effectively cannot practice medicine at this point, and the reason for that is to set up a surrender of his medical license."

Binninger explained that his client agreed to the plea deal because federal investigators "did an excellent job in their investigation," and added that his client "wants to do the right thing. He'll be cooperating going forward."

He also acknowledged that the case against the San Diego-based doctor has garnered increased public attention due to Perry's celebrity status and noted that Chavez regrets how the Fools Rush In actor died.

"At the end of the day, a patient passed away," the attorney noted. "So he feels incredible remorse from that, and I think that he's taken the necessary steps by beginning to surrender his medical license and to cooperate with the government."

Perry was found dead in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28 at the age of 54. In December, the actor's death was ruled a drug and drowning-related accident—the result of the "acute effects of ketamine"—by the Los Angeles Medical Examiner. 

In an Aug. 15 press conference, the Department of Justice announced Chavez was among five people—including fellow doctor Salvador Plasencia, Perry's assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, Jasveen Sangha (a.k.a "The Ketamine Queen") and Eric Fleming—accused of "profiting off" Perry's longtime struggle with drug addiction and charged for their alleged involvement in his passing.  

Prosecutors alleged that Plasencia worked with Iwamasa to distribute approximately 20 vials of ketamine to him between September and October 2023 in exchange for $55,000 cash, according to Department of Justice documents reviewed by E! News.  

The DOJ also accused Placensia—who pled not guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine—of exchanging text messages with Chavez to determine how much money they could get the actor to spend on the hallucinogenic drug, with Plasencia allegedly writing at one point, "I wonder how much this moron will pay."

Iwamasa and Fleming each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, while Fleming also pled guilty to one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Meanwhile, Sangha has pleaded not guilty to multiple drug-related charges.

While the investigation into Perry's death is ongoing, those close to him, like Friends creator Marta Kauffman, are hoping fans can focus on his acting legacy.

"Two things come to mind [about how to celebrate him]: one of them is to donate to drug treatment centers—let's fight the disease," Kauffman told The Times on Aug. 16. "And the second way is to watch Friends and remember him not as a man who died like that but as a man who was hilariously funny and brought joy to everybody."

(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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