One of two doctors charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death has appeared in a federal court in Los Angeles after reaching a deal to plead guilty and co-operate with prosecutors.
Mark Chavez, 54, of San Diego, stood in court with his lawyer on Friday and told a judge he understood his rights.
Magistrate Judge Jean Rosenbluth told him he could remain free on bond with several restrictions, including turning over his passport and not working as a doctor. He has agreed to turn over his medical license.
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Chavez signed an agreement with prosecutors earlier this month to plead guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anaesthetic ketamine.
He did not enter his guilty plea or speak about the case, which he will do with another judge at a date to be determined.
“He’s incredibly remorseful,” Chavez’s lawyer Matthew Binninger said outside court, with the doctor standing at his side.
“He’s trying to do everything in his power to right the wrong that happened here.
“He didn’t accept responsibility today, but only because it wasn’t on the calendar.”
Binninger added, “He’s doing everything in his power to co-operate and help with this situation.”
The lawyer said Perry was “universally beloved, and it’s a shame what happened.”
Chavez would be the third person to plead guilty in the aftermath of the Friends star’s fatal overdose last year.
He also agreed to co-operate with prosecutors as they pursue others, including the doctor Chavez worked with to sell ketamine to Perry.
Also working with the US Attorney’s Office are Perry’s assistant, who admitted to helping him obtain and inject ketamine, and a Perry acquaintance, who admitted to acting as a drug messenger and middleman.
The three are helping prosecutors as they go after their main targets, doctor Salvador Plasencia, charged with illegally selling ketamine to Perry in the month before his death, and Jasveen Sangha, a woman who authorities say is a dealer who sold the actor the lethal dose of ketamine.
Both have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
Chavez admitted in his plea agreement that he obtained ketamine from his former clinic and from a wholesale distributor, where he submitted a fraudulent prescription.
After a guilty plea, he could get up to 10 years in prison when sentenced.
Perry was found dead by his assistant on October 28. The medical examiner ruled ketamine was the primary cause of death.
The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression.
Perry had struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing.
He featured alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004.
