By ANDREW DALTON and KAITLYN HUAMANI A San Diego doctor became the third person to plead guilty in the case of Matthew Perry’s fatal drug overdose as prosecutors collect cooperators in an attempt to convict two bigger targets they say are responsible for the death of the “Friends” star. Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, entered the plea Wednesday to a felony count of conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine in federal court in Los Angeles, after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors in July. Chavez agreed to cooperate as the U.S. Attorneys Office pursues more serious charges against Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who prosecutors say gave ketamine directly to Perry. The other major target in the investigation is Jasmine Sangha, an alleged dealer who prosecutors say was known as the “ketamine queen” of Los Angeles and supplied the doses that killed Perry last year. Dr. Mark Chavez, a physician from San Diego, left, who is charged in connection with actor Matthew Perry’s death from an accidental ketamine overdose, and his criminal defense attorney Matthew Binninger arrive for a change of plea hearing at the United States Courthouse in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Dr. Mark Chavez, a physician from San Diego, left, who is charged in connection with actor Matthew Perry’s death from an accidental ketamine overdose, with his criminal defense attorney, Matthew Binninger arrive for a change of plea hearing at the United States Courthouse in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Dr. Mark Chavez, a physician from San Diego, who is charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s fatal overdose, walks away from the media after pleading guilty in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Dr. Mark Chavez, a physician from San Diego, who is charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s fatal overdose, center, walks out of the United States Courthouse after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Defense attorney, Matthew Binninger speaks to the media after his client, Dr. Mark Chavez, a physician from San Diego who is charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s fatal overdose, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Dr. Mark Chavez, left, a physician from San Diego, who is charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s fatal overdose, walks out of the United States Courthouse with his with his defense attorney Matthew Binninger after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Dr. Mark Chavez, left, a physician from San Diego, who is charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s fatal overdose, walks out of the United States Courthouse with his with his defense attorney Matthew Binninger after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Dr. Mark Chavez, a physician from San Diego, who is charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s fatal overdose, walks ahead of his with his criminal defense attorney, Matthew Binninger, seen in rear after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Dr. Mark Chavez, a physician from San Diego, who is charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s fatal overdose, walks out of United States Courthouse after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Show Caption1 of 9Dr. Mark Chavez, a physician from San Diego, left, who is charged in connection with actor Matthew Perry’s death from an accidental ketamine overdose, and his criminal defense attorney Matthew Binninger arrive for a change of plea hearing at the United States Courthouse in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Expand Chavez stood in court with his lawyer and answered dozens of questions from Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett. He agreed to give up his right to trial and other rights. He listened to prosecutors as they read through every instance of him meeting with Plasencia between San Diego and Los Angeles to hand off ketamine he got using fraudulent prescriptions. In all, he admitted to supplying 22 5-milliliter vials of ketamine and nine ketamine lozenges. Chavez cleared his throat when a prosecutor described Perry’s death. “Are you pleading guilty because you did the things the prosecutors described?” Garnett asked Chavez. “Yes, your honor,” he said. Actor Matthew Perry poses for a portrait in promotion of his role in the upcoming CBS network comedy series “The Odd Couple” on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015 in New York. (Photo by Brian Ach/Invision/AP) Actor Matthew Perry, seen in the office of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), not seen, as they met about the critical need for Drug Court funding, Tuesday, July 16, 2013, in Washington. (Nick Wass/AP Images for National Association of Drug Court Professionals) LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 21: Matthew Perry and Lindsay Sloane at the African Millennium Foundation Fundraiser Partnered with Grey Goose to raise funds to buy solar ovens for AIDS orphans at Private Residence on November 21, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP Images) ARCHIVO – Matthew Perry asiste al estreno de “Ride” en Los Ángeles el 28 de abril de 2015. (Foto Rich Fury/Invision/AP, archivo) Matthew Perry appears at the GQ Men of the Year Party in West Hollywood, on Nov. 17, 2022. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File) Matthew Perry arrives at a special screening of “The Kennedys – After Camelot” at The Paley Center for Media on Wednesday, March 15, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Matthew Perry attends NBCUniversal’s 2012 Summer Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc seen at Showtime’s Annual Summer Soiree at 2015 TCA held at the Pacific Design Center on Monday, August 10, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Showtime/AP Images) LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 21: 20th TV’s Tal Carter, Matthew Perry and Lindsay Sloane at the African Millennium Foundation Fundraiser Partnered with Grey Goose to raise funds to buy solar ovens for AIDS orphans at Private Residence on November 21, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP Images) Matthew Perry attends NBCUniversal’s 2012 Summer Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Actress Lauren Graham, right, and actor Matthew Perry, left, pose for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Monday, Jan. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg) FILE – Matthew Perry arrives at the premiere of “Ride” at The Arclight Hollywood Theater in Los Angeles. Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing in the hit series “Friends,” has died. He was 54. The Emmy-nominated actor was found dead of an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times and celebrity website TMZ, which was the first to report the news. Both outlets cited unnamed sources confirming Perry’s death. His publicists and other representatives did not immediately return messages seeking comment. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File) FILE – David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc pose after “Friends” won outstanding comedy series at the 54th Primetime Emmy Awards Sept. 22, 2002, in Los Angeles. Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing has died. The actor was found dead of an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times and celebrity website TMZ, which was the first to report the news. Both outlets cited unnamed sources confirming Perry’s death. His publicists and other representatives did not immediately return messages seeking comment. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File) Actor Matthew Perry participates in the BUILD Speaker Series to discuss the mini-series “The Kennedys After Camelot” at AOL Studios on Thursday, March 30, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Actors Katie Holmes, left, and Matthew Perry participate in the BUILD Speaker Series to discuss the mini-series “The Kennedys After Camelot” at AOL Studios on Thursday, March 30, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Katie Holmes, left, and Matthew Perry arrive at a special screening of “The Kennedys – After Camelot” at The Paley Center for Media on Wednesday, March 15, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Matthew Perry speaks during “The Odd Couple” panel at the CBS/Showtime 2015 Winter TCA on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) Actor Matthew Perry, spokesman for the National Association of Drug Court, meets with Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., not shown, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari) Matthew Perry arrives at the premiere of the film “17 Again” in Los Angeles, Tuesday, April 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Actress Lauren Graham, right, and actor Matthew Perry, left, pose for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Monday, Jan. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg) Jessica Biel, left, applauds as Matthew Perry hears of his nomination at the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards news conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., Thursday, morning Dec. 14, 2006. Perry was nominated for best actor in a television miniseries or movie for his role in "The Ron Clark Story." Nominations were announced in 25 categories for the Golden Globe Awards, airing live Monday, Jan. 15, 2007, at the Beverly Hilton. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Show Caption1 of 21Actor Matthew Perry poses for a portrait in promotion of his role in the upcoming CBS network comedy series “The Odd Couple” on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015 in New York. (Photo by Brian Ach/Invision/AP) Expand Chavez remains free on bond until his April 2 sentencing. He has turned over his passport and agreed to surrender his medical license, among other conditions. The judge told him that she is not bound by any agreement or recommendation and can still sentence him to the full 10 years allowed by law. But he is likely to be sentenced to far less time because of the plea and his cooperation with prosecutors. His lawyer Matthew Binninger spoke only briefly to reporters outside the courthouse. “Mark entered his plea of guilty, and that’s now public record,” Binninger said. “You accept responsibility — and then you set sentencing.” Also working with federal prosecutors are Perry’s assistant, who admitted to helping him obtain and inject ketamine, and a Perry acquaintance, who admitted to acting as a drug messenger and middleman. Perry was found dead by his assistant on Oct. 28, 2023. The medical examiner ruled that ketamine was the primary cause of death. The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression that has become increasingly common. Perry began seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him. About a month before the actor’s death, he found Plasencia, who in turn allegedly asked Chavez to obtain the drug for him. “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia texted Chavez, according to court filings from prosecutors. The two met up the same day in Costa Mesa, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, and exchanged at least four vials of ketamine, the filings said. After selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500, Plasencia allegedly asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them so they could become Perry’s “go-to,” prosecutors said. While reading allegations in court Wednesday, prosecutors described a text exchange in which Plasencia asked Chavez if he approved of what they were doing. Related Articles Courts | Hemet man charged in death of teen girl in 2020 fentanyl OD Courts | Man who sold fentanyl-laced pill hit with $5.8 million judgment for overdose death of Temecula woman, 20 Courts | Matthew Perry case: Trial set for alleged ‘Ketamine Queen,’ Santa Monica doctor Courts | San Diego doctor agrees to plead guilty in actor Matthew Perry’s ketamine death Courts | ‘Shoot me up with a big one’: A timeline of the last days of Matthew Perry “Depends on your tolerance for risk,” Chavez said. When Plasencia asked him if he was interested in starting a ketamine clinic, Chavez said he might be on board, so long as there was no “shady stuff.” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in announcing the charges Aug. 15 that “the doctors preyed on Perry’s history of addiction in the final months of his life last year to provide him with ketamine in amounts they knew were dangerous.” Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on “Friends,” when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing. He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC’s megahit sitcom.