San Diego-based doctor charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death

LOS ANGELES (KGTV/CNS) – A San Diego doctor was among five people charged in connection with the overdose death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry, according to a Justice Department news release.

Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, according to the Justice Department. Investigators allege Chavez sold the ketamine to Dr. Salvador Plasencia of Santa Monica, who was also charged in the case.

“Chavez admitted in his guilty plea to selling ketamine to Plasencia, including ketamine diverted from his previous ketamine clinic,” the press release states. “Chavez also obtained additional ketamine to deliver to Plasencia by providing false information to a ketamine wholesaler and submitting a fake prescription in the name of a former patient without the patient's knowledge or consent.”

These are the three other people charged in connection with Perry's death:

• Jasveen Sangha, 41, whom the Justice Department called the “ketamine queen,” of North Hollywood
• Eric Fleming, 54, of Hawthorne, who distributed the ketamine to Perry, investigators say
• Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, of Toluca Lake, Perry's live-in assistant who injected the actor with ketamine multiple times on October 28, 2023, the day of his death.

This is a developing story. ABC 10News has assigned a reporter to gather more information about Dr. Chavez's background and work in San Diego. Read the original City News Service story below about the key developments in the Matthew Perry case.

At least one person has been arrested in connection with the ketamine-related death of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry. The actor was found dead in a hot tub behind his Pacific Palisades home in October.

No further details were immediately available about the reported arrests. Federal and local law enforcement officials were expected to release details of the case during a 10 a.m. press conference in downtown Los Angeles.

TMZ, which broke the news, reported that several people had been arrested, including at least one doctor and several dealers who helped obtain and deliver the drug to Perry. Citing unnamed sources, the website reported that investigators discovered text messages discussing obtaining ketamine for Perry and how much the actor would be charged for.

Citing an unnamed source, ABC News reported that a total of five people were arrested and charged in federal court, including two doctors. According to the report, the two doctors were Perry's first ketamine suppliers, but when the costs became too high, Perry switched to another source, including a person known as the “Ketamine Queen of Los Angeles.”

Local and federal authorities confirmed in May that they were investigating how Perry obtained the prescription drug ketamine, which contributed to his death on Oct. 28 at age 54. A representative for the Los Angeles Police Department told City News Service that it was an “open investigation” into the actor's death.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death was “acute effects of ketamine.”

“Contributing factors to Mr. Perry's death include drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid addiction. The cause of death was accidental,” the medical examiner said in a statement.

In a statement, LAPD officials said that “based on the findings of the medical examiner, the LAPD, with the assistance of the DEA (US Drug Enforcement Administration) and the US Postal Inspection Service, has continued its investigation into the circumstances surrounding Perry's death.”

According to the DEA website, “Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic with some hallucinogenic effects.”

“Ketamine distorts the perception of sight and sound, making the user feel disconnected and out of control. It is called a 'dissociative anesthetic hallucinogen' because it makes patients feel detached from their pain and their surroundings,” the DEA website states.

The drug is sometimes used to combat the effects of depression.

Perry had spoken openly about his years-long struggle with addiction. During his time on “Friends,” he became addicted to Vicodin – and was in rehab several times, including during filming of the series.

In 2022, Perry released his memoir, detailing his struggles with drugs and alcohol, his struggles with weight gain and loss, and other aspects of his sometimes turbulent lifestyle, including a harrowing account of emergency surgery following a gastrointestinal perforation that nearly cost him his life.

According to the coroner's report on the actor's death, there was no evidence of illegal drug use in Perry's system at the time of his death.

The medical examiner noted in the autopsy report that Perry had undergone ketamine infusion treatment for depression and anxiety, but his last known treatment had been about a week and a half before his death – meaning the ketamine found in his body did not come from that treatment.

Copyright 2024, City News Service, Inc.