Kaylah Walton
Medical practitioners Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia are facing charges in connection with the death of Matthew Perry. Despite this, they still possess active medical licenses allowing them to prescribe medications legally.
Accusations against the two doctors stem from their alleged role in providing ketamine to the late actor, who succumbed to complications from the drug on October 28, 2023.
Reports from TMZ indicate that both Chavez and Plasencia have confessed to supplying Perry with the anesthetic he had been using before his demise.
Despite the severity of the allegations, the Medical Board of California has investigated the matter and found no immediate grounds to suspend or revoke the doctors’ licenses.
Active Licenses
The Board verified that both doctors’ licenses are “current and active,” with no restrictions on their practice. Chavez’s medical license is valid until June 2026, while Plasencia’s expires in October of this year, as per public records. These findings have raised concerns given the nature of the accusations against them.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed charges against Plasencia for various offenses, including conspiracy to distribute ketamine, drug distribution, and falsifying records during the federal investigation.
Chavez has opted to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, admitting in the plea that he supplied the drug to Plasencia for Perry’s use.
Court documents detail that the doctors started providing Perry with ketamine as early as September 2023. Text messages between Chavez and Plasencia suggest a lack of concern for Perry’s well-being, with discussions on the amount of money Perry might pay for the drug. Perry reportedly compensated the doctors over $55,000 in the weeks leading up to his passing.
Aside from Chavez and Plasencia, three others have been linked to Perry’s death, including his personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who is accused of administering ketamine to the actor. Allegedly, Plasencia taught Iwamasa how to administer the drug, which was provided in liquid form and as lozenges.
