One of the doctors of the late Friends star Matthew Perry has pleaded guilty to a drug distribution charge.
Perry died last October at the age of 54 after he was found unresponsive in his home in California. His death was later ruled an "accident" due to the "acute effects of ketamine".
Back in May, the Los Angeles Police Department opened an investigation into Perry's death and earlier this month it was reported that multiple arrests had been made in relation to supplying ketamine.
According to Deadline, prosecutors said yesterday (August 30) that one of the doctors who was charged in Perry's death has agreed to plead guilty to one federal count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. The doctor is not pleading guilty to Perry's death.
54 year-old Mark Chavez, who is one of five people charged in connection with Perry's death, will be arraigned in Los Angeles.
"Chavez has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and has signed a plea agreement," the Justice Department said on August 30. "At his arraignment [United States Magistrate Judge Jean P. Rosenbluth] will set a date for Chavez’s change of plea proceeding – or direct the parties to contact the chambers of the federal district judge assigned to the case to set the hearing date."
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Back when the arrests were announced, attorney Martin Estrada said of the defendants: "These defendants took advantage of Mr Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong."
Two defendants, Jasveen Sangha and Dr Salvador Plasencia, have pleaded not guilty. A third, Erik Fleming, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death, while a fourth, Kenneth Iwamasa, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death.
Following the Chandler Bing actor's tragic death, his Friends co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow shared a joint statement.
"We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew,” they said. “We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss."
For more on drug addiction and dependency, including information and support, please visit FRANK or Action on Addiction.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
