Former Doctor Sentenced to 8 Months Home Confinement in Perry Case

A federal judge in Los Angeles sentenced a former San Diego physician to eight months of home confinement on Tuesday for his role in supplying ketamine to actor Matthew Perry in the weeks before Perry's fatal overdose in 2023.

Dr. Mark Chavez, 55, pleaded guilty last October to one count of conspiracy to distribute the drug, admitting he obtained ketamine through fraudulent prescriptions and sold it to another doctor, Salvador Plasencia. Plasencia then provided the substance to Perry, who was using it off-label to treat depression. U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett also ordered Chavez to serve three years of supervised release and complete 300 hours of community service. Prosecutors had sought a prison term of up to 10 years, but the judge cited Chavez's early cooperation with investigators and his voluntary surrender of his medical license as mitigating factors.

Before the sentencing, Chavez addressed the court, expressing remorse over Perry's death. "I just want to say my heart goes out to the Perry family," he said, noting that he had recently lost a loved one and understood their grief. His attorney, Matthew Binninger, described the outcome as fair, emphasizing that...