A California doctor who admitted he helped funnel ketamine into Matthew Perry’s orbit was sentenced Tuesday to eight months of home confinement, a punishment that underscores how federal prosecutors are separating a cooperating defendant from the people they say drove the lethal supply chain. U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett also ordered Dr. Mark Chavez to serve three years of supervised release and complete 300 hours of community service, according to court documents cited by TheWrap.
Chavez, 55, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine after prosecutors said he obtained the drug through fraudulent prescriptions and sold it to another physician, Dr. Salvador Plasencia. Authorities said Chavez knew Perry had a history of substance use disorder and understood the drug would be administered outside medical supervision. In court, Chavez said he sympathized with Perry’s family and offered condolences.
Plasencia, 44, was sentenced on Dec. 3 to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to four ketamine distribution counts. Federal prosecutors said Plasencia supplied ketamine to Perry in the weeks before the actor was found dead on Oct. 28, 2023, in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. The autopsy attributed the death to acute ketamine effects that led to loss of consciousness and drowning.
The case has unfolded alongside a public debate about ketamine’s expanding footprint in mental-health care. Investigators have said Perry received ketamine infusions for depression and anxiety, then sought illicit sources after providers declined to increase his dosage. Medical groups and regulators have warned that ketamine carries serious risks when used without screening and monitoring, and federal regulators have cautioned patients and clinicians about compounded ketamine products marketed for psychiatric conditions, particularly for at-home use.
Three other defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing: intermediary Erik Fleming (scheduled Jan. 7, 2026), Perry’s former assistant Kenneth Iwamasa (Jan. 14, 2026), and drug dealer Jasveen Sangha (Feb. 25, 2026), whom prosecutors have described as the source of the fatal dose. Their hearings will test how the court calibrates punishment across a case that prosecutors say mixed medical access, celebrity vulnerability, and street-level dealing.
