SAN DIEGO — The California Medical Board suspended La Jolla doctor Mark Chavez's license as he awaits sentencing on felony charges for supplying actor Matthew Perry with ketamine that contributed to Perry's death in October 2023.
Medical Board documents obtained by CBS 8 say Chavez is "immediately prohibited from practicing medicine in the State of California" until his trial and until the Medical Board issues its final order.
Chavez faces up to 10 years in prison for supplying the Friends star's doctor ketamine.
Chavez pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiring to distribute surgical-grade ketamine for the actor's use.
Chavez confessed to getting the drug from his former clinic by submitting a bogus prescription, using the name of an unwitting former patient.
According to Drug Enforcement Agency Administrator Anne Milgram, Perry's primary doctor, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, and "Dr. Chavez violated the oath they took to care for their patients. Instead of do no harm, they did harm so that they could make more money."
The two doctors allegedly charged Perry approximately $2,000 for a vial of ketamine that cost Dr. Chavez only twelve dollars.
In one message text exchange released by the DEA following the announcement of federal charges, Plasencia and Chavez quipped, "I wonder how much this moron will pay?" and "Let's find out."
Chavez and Plasencia are two of five people who face charges in Perry's October 28 death. On that day, Perry was given three doses of ketamine, one at 8:30 in the morning, another at 12:45 pm, followed by the lethal dose at 1:25 pm. The actor was found dead in the pool at his Pacific Palisades home at 4:07 pm.
The Medical Board's temporary suspension states that if proven that Chavez supplied Perry's doctor with ketamine, it violates the Medical Practice Act.
