"I wonder how much this moron will pay," one doctor texted about Matthew Perry. Now that doctor is in prison. His accomplice—an ER physician turned Uber driver—just got 8 months home confinement. And the "Ketamine Queen" faces 65 years. This is the story of how five people conspired to illegally supply drugs to a beloved actor—and how their greed killed him.

Dr. Mark Chavez once worked as an emergency room physician, saving lives and earning the respect that comes with the medical profession. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to eight months of home confinement for his role in the conspiracy that killed Matthew Perry.

It's a spectacular fall—from practicing medicine to driving for Uber, from healing patients to admitting he fraudulently obtained ketamine and sold it to another doctor who supplied it to the "Friends" star in the weeks before Perry's fatal overdose.

Chavez is the second of five people convicted in connection with Perry's October 2023 death. But his story—and the text messages that exposed the conspiracy—reveals something darker than simple medical malpractice. It shows how doctors who took oaths to "do no harm" instead saw a desperate celebrity as a cash opportunity, referring to him as a "moron" while calculating how much money they could extract from his addiction.

And it ended with Perry, 54, found unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home, dead from a ketamine overdose administered by his own live-in assistant.

The Doctor Who Lost Everything

Mark Chavez's sentencing on Tuesday marks a cautionary tale about how quickly professional and personal lives can unravel when ethics are abandoned for profit.

Chavez pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, admitting to selling fraudulently obtained ketamine to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who then sold it to Perry in September and October 2023.

His sentence: eight months of home confinement, three years of supervised release, and 300 hours of community service. He faced up to 10 years in prison, but prosecutors recommended the lighter sentence because Chavez "expediently accepted responsibility and agreed to cooperate with the government's investigation."

But the legal consequences pale in comparison to what Chavez has already lost. His attorneys described the devastation in their sentencing filing:

"Once a practicing emergency room physician, he lost his profession, suffered public disgrace, and now earns a living as an Uber driver."

Both Chavez and Plasencia gave up their medical licenses after pleading guilty. Years of medical school, residency training, and professional experience—gone. The respect and status that comes with being a doctor—destroyed. The ability to practice medicine and help patients—surrendered.

Now Chavez drives for Uber, having fallen from the upper echelons of the medical profession to gig economy work, all because he chose to fraudulently obtain ketamine and sell it to a colleague who was supplying a celebrity addict.

"Mr. Chavez accepted responsibility at the earliest stage and has never minimized his mistake," said Matthew Binninger, one of his attorneys. Another attorney, Zach Brooks, called it "a lapse in judgment during a narrow and isolated time."

But that "narrow and isolated time" was enough to end one career and contribute to ending Matthew Perry's life.

"I Wonder How Much This Moron Will Pay"

The text messages between the two doctors reveal the callousness at the heart of this conspiracy.

According to prosecutors, Dr. Salvador Plasencia was introduced to Perry on September 30, 2023, through one of his patients who referred to the actor as a "high profile person" seeking ketamine who was "willing to pay 'cash and lots of thousands' for ketamine treatment."

Plasencia contacted his mentor, Chavez, to discuss Perry's request and arrange purchases of ketamine vials and lozenges. In discussing how much to charge Perry, Plasencia texted Chavez: "I wonder how much this moron will pay."

Chavez's response: "Lets [sic] find out."

These messages expose the predatory nature of what followed. Perry wasn't a patient to be treated. He was a "moron"—a desperate addict with deep pockets to be exploited. The doctors weren't providing legitimate medical care. They were price-gouging a vulnerable person struggling with substance abuse.

Between September 30 and October 12, 2023—a span of just 12 days—Plasencia admitted to distributing 20 vials of ketamine, ketamine lozenges, and syringes to Perry and the actor's live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa.

Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry at his home on several occasions and left vials and lozenges with Iwamasa to administer when Plasencia wasn't present. This was ketamine being provided outside of legitimate medical settings, without proper supervision, to a patient with a known history of substance abuse.

Earlier this month, Plasencia was sentenced to 30 months in prison—two and a half years for his role in the conspiracy.

The Fraudulent Prescriptions

Chavez's specific crime was obtaining the ketamine through fraud.

As a former operator of a ketamine clinic, Chavez had access to the drug for legitimate medical purposes. But instead of using proper channels, he submitted fraudulent prescriptions in the name of a patient—without that patient's knowledge or consent—to obtain vials of liquid ketamine and ketamine lozenges that he then sold to Plasencia.

This is medical fraud layered on top of illegal drug distribution. Chavez didn't just sell drugs unlawfully; he stole someone else's identity to do it, potentially putting an innocent patient at risk if that fraudulent prescription had been discovered and investigated.

When Drug Enforcement Administration and Medical Board investigators began closing in on his illegal ketamine sales, Chavez "initially lied and tried to evade responsibility," according to prosecutors. Only when confronted with evidence of his crimes did he eventually cooperate.

Prosecutors acknowledged this cooperation in their sentencing recommendation, asking for six months home confinement rather than prison time. But they also made clear that Chavez's initial instinct was to lie and cover up his crimes—only shifting to accountability when evasion was no longer possible.

The Doctors Who Didn't Kill Perry (But Knew They Were Endangering Him)

Here's a crucial detail that Chavez's defense attorneys emphasized repeatedly: the doctors did not provide the ketamine that ultimately killed Perry.

Chavez had never met Perry, never entered his home, never administered medication to him. His involvement was "limited and peripheral" and "far removed from the tragic events of October 28, 2023," his attorneys argued.

Technically, this is true. The ketamine that killed Perry came from two other defendants in the case: Erik Fleming and Jasveen Sangha, the alleged "Ketamine Queen."

But federal prosecutors made another point: Chavez and Plasencia knew Perry had a history of substance abuse and knew the drug would be administered without proper medical supervision.

In other words, even if their specific ketamine vials didn't kill Perry, they were knowingly supplying drugs to an addict in conditions they understood were dangerous. They saw a person in crisis and decided to profit from it rather than help.

The law recognizes this distinction—which is why Chavez faces far less prison time than the defendants who actually supplied the fatal dose. But morally, it's a thin line. Chavez may not have pulled the trigger, but he helped load the gun.

The Assistant Who Administered the Fatal Dose

Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry's live-in assistant, admitted in court documents to administering the ketamine on the day Perry died.

Iwamasa pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 14, 2026, and faces up to 15 years in prison.

The relationship between Iwamasa and Perry represents one of the most tragic aspects of this case. As Perry's assistant, Iwamasa presumably cared about the actor and wanted to help him. But lacking medical training and operating under Perry's instructions, he became the instrument of Perry's death—administering doses of ketamine in a home setting without the medical knowledge to recognize dangerous levels or overdose symptoms.

Plasencia had left vials and lozenges with Iwamasa to administer when the doctor wasn't present, effectively turning an untrained assistant into a drug dispenser. When something inevitably went wrong, it was Iwamasa who found Perry unresponsive, Iwamasa who called for help, and Iwamasa who now faces up to 15 years in prison for his role.

The Ketamine Queen

The most serious charges in the case belong to Jasveen Sangha, allegedly known as "The Ketamine Queen."

Sangha pleaded guilty in September to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.

She is scheduled to be sentenced on February 25, 2026, and faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.

According to prosecutors, Sangha worked with Erik Fleming to distribute ketamine to Perry. In October 2023, they sold the actor 51 vials of ketamine—the supply that was provided to Iwamasa and that ultimately included the dose that killed Perry.

Fifty-one vials. Think about that number. This wasn't a one-time transaction or a small quantity for personal use. This was large-scale distribution to someone whose addiction was clearly spiraling.

Fleming, who served as the intermediary between Sangha and Perry, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. He faces up to 25 years in prison at his sentencing scheduled for January 7, 2026.

The Ketamine Context

To understand this case, it's important to understand ketamine itself—a drug with legitimate medical uses that has also become a drug of abuse.

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic approved for medical use, typically in hospital or clinical settings for anesthesia and pain management. In recent years, it's also been used (under careful medical supervision) for treatment-resistant depression, with some clinics offering ketamine therapy for mental health conditions.

But ketamine is also recreationally abused for its dissociative and hallucinogenic effects. At high doses or when used outside medical supervision, it can cause respiratory depression, unconsciousness, and death—particularly when combined with other substances.

Perry had publicly struggled with addiction for decades, including alcohol and prescription drugs. His memoir detailed his battles with substance abuse and multiple attempts at recovery. The fact that medical professionals knew this history and still supplied him with ketamine outside proper medical settings makes their conduct especially egregious.

Ketamine clinics, like the one Chavez formerly operated, are supposed to provide the drug under controlled conditions with appropriate medical oversight. Instead, Chavez diverted ketamine from legitimate channels through fraud, Plasencia administered it in Perry's home without proper supervision, and Sangha sold massive quantities with no medical justification whatsoever.

The Accountability Question

Throughout the sentencing documents, there's tension between taking responsibility and minimizing culpability.

Chavez's attorneys argue he "accepted responsibility at the earliest stage" and signed a plea agreement before indictment. The government acknowledges his cooperation while noting he initially lied to investigators. His lawyers say his conduct was "limited and peripheral." Prosecutors say he knew what he was doing was wrong and did it anyway.

The question underlying all of this: How responsible is Chavez for Perry's death?

He never met Perry. He didn't supply the fatal dose. He didn't administer the drug. But he fraudulently obtained ketamine knowing it would be illegally distributed to a celebrity addict. He texted about how much money they could extract from this "moron." He was part of a conspiracy that treated Perry's addiction as a business opportunity rather than a medical crisis.

The legal system has answered: eight months home confinement, three years supervised release, loss of medical license, public disgrace, career destroyed.

But the moral question remains open. Is that justice for being part of a conspiracy that killed Matthew Perry? Or is it too lenient given that a beloved actor is dead, at least partially because Chavez chose profit over ethics?

The Broader Pattern

Perry's death is not an isolated case. It's part of a broader pattern of celebrities dying from drug overdoses facilitated by doctors, dealers, and enablers who prioritize access to famous clients over patient safety.

Michael Jackson died from propofol administered by his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray. Prince died from a fentanyl overdose involving pills obtained through fraudulent prescriptions. Tom Petty died from an accidental overdose of prescription medications.

The pattern is consistent: celebrities with resources, access, and addiction issues; medical professionals and dealers willing to supply dangerous drugs outside proper protocols; enablers and assistants who facilitate use without proper training or safeguards; and tragic, preventable deaths.

Perry's case is distinctive only in the number of people charged and the text messages that revealed their callousness. But the underlying dynamic—people exploiting a celebrity's addiction for money—is depressingly familiar.

What Perry's Family Lost

Lost in the legal proceedings and sentencing recommendations is the human cost: Matthew Perry is dead at 54.

The actor who brought joy to millions as Chandler Bing on "Friends" struggled with addiction for decades but also fought for recovery and tried to help others facing similar battles. His memoir was both a reflection on his struggles and an attempt to destigmatize addiction.

Instead of receiving proper medical care and support for his substance abuse issues, he encountered doctors who saw him as a cash opportunity and dealers who supplied him with enough ketamine to kill him.

His family lost a son and brother. His friends lost a colleague and companion. Millions of fans lost a performer who made them laugh. And all of it was preventable if the people around Perry had prioritized his health over their profits.

The Sentences Still to Come

With Plasencia sentenced to 30 months in prison and Chavez sentenced to eight months home confinement, three major sentencings remain:

Kenneth Iwamasa (January 14, 2026): The assistant who administered the fatal dose, facing up to 15 years.

Erik Fleming (January 7, 2026): The intermediary who obtained ketamine from Sangha and delivered it to Perry, facing up to 25 years.

Jasveen Sangha (February 25, 2026): "The Ketamine Queen" who allegedly supplied 51 vials of ketamine including the fatal dose, facing up to 65 years.

These sentences will complete the legal accounting for Perry's death. But they won't bring him back.

From Doctor to Uber Driver

Mark Chavez's fall from emergency room physician to Uber driver is dramatic and, according to his attorneys, punishment enough before any formal sentencing.

"The consequences Mr. Chavez has already faced are significant," they wrote. "Once a practicing emergency room physician, he lost his profession, suffered public disgrace, and now earns a living as an Uber driver."

It's a stark reminder that some consequences are immediate and permanent—loss of professional license, public humiliation, career destruction—while legal penalties come later and are often less severe than the social and professional costs already paid.

But it's also hard to feel too much sympathy. Chavez made conscious choices: to fraudulently obtain ketamine, to sell it to another doctor for illegal distribution, to participate in text conversations about exploiting a "moron" with addiction issues.

Now he drives for Uber. Matthew Perry is in a grave.

The justice system has spoken. Eight months home confinement, supervised release, community service, cooperation credit, career already destroyed.

Is it enough? That depends on whether you believe in redemption, in proportionate punishment, in giving people second chances after catastrophic mistakes.

What's not debatable is this: a beloved actor died because multiple people—including two doctors who took oaths to do no harm—decided to profit from his addiction rather than help him.

And that's a tragedy no sentence can undo.

Follow ZOSIO for updates on the remaining Matthew Perry sentencings and coverage of celebrity drug cases and medical ethics violations.