One of two California doctors who were among five people charged in the overdose death of Friends star Matthew Perry is expected to plead guilty Wednesday to illegally distributing the drug ketamine.

Dr. Mark Chavez has signed a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to a single felony count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, a short-acting anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties.

Chavez is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. local time (1700 GMT) to enter his plea. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.

Another physician charged in the case, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, has pleaded not guilty, as has co-defendant Jasveen Sangha, after authorities said he was an illegal supplier of the drug and was known as the “Ketamine Queen.” Was known in. The pair are scheduled to stand trial in March.

Perry’s live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who admitted to injecting Perry, and the alleged middleman, who said he obtained ketamine from Sangha, have already pleaded guilty to charges against them Are.

Authorities said Plasencia purchased ketamine from Chavez, and in text messages sent to Chavez discussed the amount to charge Perry for the drug, writing: “I wonder how much this idiot will pay.”

According to court documents, Placenia gave Perry ketamine and supplied the vials the assistant injected.

According to a December 2023 autopsy report, Perry died in October 2023 at the age of 54 from the “acute effects” of ketamine and other factors, which caused him to become unconscious and drown in his hot tub.

The actor had publicly admitted substance abuse for decades, including while starring as Chandler Bing on the hit 1990s television sitcom Friends.

Chávez’s attorney Matt Binninger told reporters in August that his client was “doing everything in his power to cooperate, to help with this situation.”

“He is incredibly remorseful,” Binninger said.

The lawyer said Chávez’s regret stemmed not from Perry’s fame but the fact that “someone who was trying to get treatment died.”