One of two doctors charged in connection with the drug overdose death of Friends star Matthew Perry has pleaded guilty in a US court.
Mark Chavez, 54, faces up to 10 years in prison after admitting to conspiring to distribute ketamine weeks before the actor was found dead in the pool of his Los Angeles home.
Chavez is the third of five defendants to plead guilty to charges filed in connection with Perry's death, AFP reports.
Two people - the doctor who allegedly administered the anesthetic to the troubled actor several times before his death and a woman alleged to be a Hollywood celebrity dealer - have denied the charges they face.
Before U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Myer Garnett in Los Angeles District Court, the bespectacled Chavez answered a number of questions before pleading guilty.
Perry's death in October 2023 sent shock waves through the world's legions of Friends fans.
Soon after an autopsy found the actor had high levels of ketamine - an anesthetic - in his system, a criminal investigation was launched.
Two other people connected to the case, an assistant and an acquaintance, have now pleaded guilty to the charges against them.
Another doctor, Salvador Placencia, allegedly bought ketamine from Chavez and sold it to the desperate star at extremely inflated prices.
Jaswin Sanga, the alleged "ketamine queen" who supplied drugs to high-end and celebrity clients, is accused of selling Perry the dose that killed him.
Both Placencia and Sangha have been charged with one count each of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, as well as a number of other charges they deny.
Their trials are scheduled for March, and if found guilty, both face long prison terms.
In the plea agreement, Chavez admitted to selling ketamine to Placencia, including doses he diverted from his former clinic.
He was released on $50,000 bail and ordered not to practice medicine. His sentencing is expected in April.
Perry played Chandler Bing on the hit TV sitcom from 1994 to 2004 and has spoken openly about his decades-long battles with addiction.
He was taking ketamine, a controlled drug, as part of medical therapy. | BGNES
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