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Dr. Mark Chavez<\/strong> \u2014 one of two doctors charged in connection to the death<\/a> of Matthew Perry<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine. Chavez, 54, entered the guilty plea on Wednesday, October 2, in a federal Los Angeles court. During the investigation<\/a> into Perry\u2019s death, Chavez was arrested alongside Dr. Salvador Plasencia<\/strong> and Jasveen Sangha<\/strong>, a drug dealer known as the \u201cketamine queen\u201d in North Hollywood. Five individuals in total were charged earlier this summer in Perry\u2019s case.<\/p>\n Chavez faces up to 10 years behind bars, and his sentencing date is scheduled for April 2, 2025, per NBC News<\/a>. According to the indictment against Chavez, he obtained the ketamine after \u201cwriting a fraudulent prescription in a patient\u2019s name without her knowledge or consent, and lied to wholesale ketamine distributors to buy additional vials of liquid ketamine that Chavez intended to sell to Plasencia for distribution to Perry.\u201d Chavez\u2019s attorney, Matthew Binninger, said that his client felt \u201cremorseful\u201d for his role in Perry\u2019s accidental overdose and was \u201caccepting responsibility,\u201d per the outlet.<\/p>\n In August, the charges were read against the five defendants: Chavez, Plasencia, Sangha, Erik Fleming and Perry\u2019s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. Per the United States Attorney\u2019s Office<\/a>, Drug Enforcement administrator Anne Milgram said that \u201ceach of the defendants played a key role in his death by falsely prescribing, selling, or injecting the ketamine that caused Matthew Perry\u2019s tragic death.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe allege Matthew Perry\u2019s journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday, to street dealers who gave him ketamine in unmarked vials,\u201d the DEA administrator continued.<\/p>\n In a series of texts before Perry\u2019s death, Plasencia allegedly sent Chavez a message that read, \u201cI wonder how much this moron will pay.\u201d<\/p>\n Nearly one year before Chavez entered his guilty plea, Perry was found dead in his hot tub in October 2023. According to the coroner\u2019s report, Perry had been receiving ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety before he died. At the time of his death, however, the levels of ketamine in his body were usually high.<\/p>\n The late 17 Again<\/em> actor struggled with addiction throughout his career. He opened up about how he overcame the substance abuse in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the\u00a0<\/i>Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline<\/i><\/a>\u00a0at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).<\/i><\/p>\n \n\t\t<\/div>\n![\"385848](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/GettyImages-908303.jpeg?quality=100&w=834&resize=834%2C1024\")