Doctor charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death appears in court after plea deal

By ANDREW DALTON

AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — One of two doctors charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death made his first appearance in a federal court in Los Angeles on Friday after reaching a deal to plead guilty and cooperate with prosecutors.

Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, of San Diego, stood in court with his lawyer and told a judge he understood his rights. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jean P. Rosenbluth told him he could remain free on bond with several restrictions, including turning over his passport and not working as a doctor. He has agreed to turn over his medical license.

Chavez signed an agreement with prosecutors earlier this month to plead guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine. He did not enter his guilty plea or speak about the case, which he will do with another judge at a date to be determined.

"He's incredibly remorseful, not just because it happened to Matthew Perry, but because it happened to a patient," Chavez's lawyer Matthew Binninger said outside court with the doctor standing at his side. "He's trying to do everything in his power to right the wrong that happened here. He didn't accept responsibility today, but only because it wasn't on the calendar."

Binninger added, "He's doing everything in his power to cooperate and help with this situation."

Asked what he and Chavez would say to Perry's family, Binninger said, "I'm afraid I can't answer that question other than to say that we're incredibly sorry that someone lost their life. It doesn't matter that he was a famous celebrity, and I know that he was incredibly universally loved by all. It's a shame at what happened."

Chavez would be the third person to plead guilty in the aftermath of the "Friends" star's fatal overdose last year.

Chavez also agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as they pursue others, including the doctor Chavez worked with to sell ketamine to Perry. Also working with the U.S. Attorney's Office are Perry's assistant, who admitted to helping him obtain and inject ketamine, and a Perry acquaintance, who admitted to acting as a drug messenger and middleman.

The three are helping prosecutors as they go after their main targets: Dr. Salvador Plasencia, charged with illegally selling ketamine to Perry in the month before his death, and Jasveen Sangha, a woman who authorities say is a dealer who sold the actor the lethal dose of ketamine. Both have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial. They are set to appear in court for a status conference on Wednesday.

Chavez admitted in his plea agreement that he obtained ketamine from his former clinic and from a wholesale distributor where he submitted a fraudulent prescription.

After a guilty plea, he could get up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced.

Perry was found dead by his assistant on Oct. 28. The medical examiner ruled ketamine was the primary cause of death. The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression that has become increasingly common.

Seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him, about a month before his death Perry found Plasencia, who in turn asked Chavez to obtain the drug for him.

"I wonder how much this moron will pay," Plasencia texted Chavez. The two met up the same day in Costa Mesa, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, and exchanged at least four vials of ketamine.

After selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500, Plasencia asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them so they could become Perry's "go-to."

Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on "Friends," when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing. He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC's megahit sitcom.

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This story has been corrected to show that Chavez is expected to enter his guilty plea at a later date, not on Friday.