August 30th 2024.
A tragic case involving the death of beloved actor Matthew Perry has taken a new turn as one of the doctors charged in connection with his passing, Dr. Mark Chavez, is scheduled to appear in a federal court in Los Angeles this Friday. According to reports, Chavez has reached a plea deal with prosecutors after signing an agreement earlier this month to plead guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine.
The US Attorney's Office has confirmed that plans for Chavez's hearing to enter the plea will be made at Friday's arraignment. This follows the guilty pleas of two others involved in the aftermath of Perry's fatal overdose last year, including Perry's assistant who admitted to helping him obtain and inject ketamine, and a Perry acquaintance who acted as a drug messenger and middleman. Their cooperation has been crucial in helping prosecutors go after the main targets in this case: Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Jasveen Sangha.
Dr. Chavez has also agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as they pursue others, including the doctor he worked with to sell ketamine to Perry. This cooperation is expected to provide valuable insight into the events leading up to Perry's death and could potentially lead to further arrests. In his plea agreement, Chavez admitted to obtaining ketamine from his former clinic as well as from a wholesale distributor through fraudulent means.
If found guilty, Chavez could face up to 10 years in prison. The death of Perry, who was found by his assistant on October 28 last year, was ruled by the medical examiner to be caused primarily by ketamine overdose. The actor had been using the drug for off-label treatment of depression under the supervision of his regular doctor. However, seeking more ketamine than his doctor would prescribe, Perry turned to Plasencia who then enlisted Chavez's help.
In a text message to Chavez, Plasencia expressed his eagerness to profit off of Perry's addiction, saying "I wonder how much this moron will pay." After meeting in Costa Mesa, the two exchanged at least four vials of ketamine, which Plasencia then sold to Perry for $US4500. He then asked Chavez if he could continue to supply the drug to become Perry's "go-to" source.
US Attorney Martin Estrada stated that "the doctors preyed on Perry's history of addiction in the final months of his life last year to provide him with ketamine in amounts they knew were dangerous." Plasencia is facing seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two charges related to falsifying records after Perry's death. He and Sangha are both scheduled to return to court next week and have separate trial dates set for October.
Perry, who struggled with addiction for years, became a household name for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom Friends. He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC. This tragic case serves as a reminder of the dangers of addiction and the importance of responsible prescription practices in the medical field.
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