One of two doctors charged in connection with the death of Matthew Perry is scheduled to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Friday, where he is expected to plead guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine.
Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, of San Diego, reached a deal with prosecutors earlier this month and would be the third person to plead guilty following the Friends star’s fatal overdose last year.
Chavez agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as they pursue others, including the doctor Chavez worked with to sell ketamine to Perry.
Details of the plea agreement have not yet been made public.
Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, of San Diego, reached a deal with prosecutors earlier this month and would be the third person to plead guilty following the Friends star’s fatal overdose last year.
The maximum penalty for the charge is 10 years in prison.
Also working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office are Perry’s assistant, who admitted helping him obtain and inject ketamine, and an acquaintance of Perry’s, who admitted acting as a courier and middleman for the drug.
All three are assisting prosecutors in their pursuit of their primary targets: Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who is accused of illegally selling ketamine to Perry in the month before his death, and Jasveen Sangha, a woman authorities say is a dealer who sold the actor the lethal dose of ketamine.
Both have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
Perry died after taking multiple doses of ketamine