Matthew Perry's Doctor Set to Plead Guilty to Ketamine Charges After Reaching Plea Deal With Prosecutors

Following an appearance in a Los Angeles federal court, Mark Chavez, one of the California doctors indicted in the investigation into the tragic death of actor Matthew Perry, is expected to plead guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine.

According to Ciaran McEvoy with the United States Attorneys’​ Office, Chavez is set to appear before a judge on the afternoon of Friday, August 30, after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors in the case.

A probe saw five people arrested for their roles in the untimely death of the beloved Friends actor. When entered by Chavez, as anticipated, his will mark the third guilty plea to come out of the investigation into Perry’s death.

The Department of Justice confirmed this development, emphasizing the seriousness of the charges against those involved in Perry's untimely passing.

As OK! previously reported, the actor was found dead in his backyard hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home in October 2023.

Investigations revealed a complex network involving his live-in housekeeper, two doctors and Jasveen Sangha, Perry's alleged drug dealer who is known as "the ketamine queen."

Sangha and Salvador Plasencia, referred to as "Dr. P.," emerged as the lead defendants in this intricate case.

On August 15, authorities announced the indictment of five people linked to Perry's demise. The press conference conducted by a coalition of law enforcement agencies shed light on the extensive criminal network that operated behind the scenes.

Sangha and Plasencia were arraigned in the U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles related to their involvement in the case.

The Friends actor's longtime personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, and Erik Fleming were also arrested and charged in connection with Perry's death.

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Perry previously told Diane Sawyer he was taking as many as 55 pills a day at the height of his opioid addiction. The tell-all interview came after he announced he was celebrating 18 months of sobriety.

The actor reportedly turned to ketamine therapy to treat his depression, but the habit escalated in the weeks leading up to his overdose as he began buying the drug illegally. Perry's autopsy report said the amount of ketamine in his system when he died was the equivalent of a surgical dose of anesthesia.