In Los Angeles, a doctor involved in a scheme to provide ketamine to actor Matthew Perry prior to his fatal overdose was sentenced to eight months of home confinement on Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett issued the sentence to Dr. Mark Chavez, aged 55, also mandating three years of supervised release in the federal court in Los Angeles.

Before the sentencing, Chavez expressed his condolences, sharing with the judge that he recently experienced the loss of a loved one and empathizes with the Perry family’s grief.

“My heart sincerely goes out to the Perry family,” Chavez remarked.

Chavez was involved in procuring ketamine and then passing it on to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who earlier this month received a 2 1/2-year prison sentence for distributing the drug to Perry in the months preceding his death.

Chavez’s attorneys emphasized the difference between the two doctors and said that Chavez “accepted responsibility early” by cooperating with investigators and voluntarily giving up his medical license ahead of his detention hearing.

“These are real steps that someone takes toward accountability,” attorney Matthew Binninger said.

He called the sentence a “fair and just outcome” for the case.

Perry had been taking the surgical anesthetic ketamine legally as a treatment for depression. But when his regular doctor wouldn’t provide it in the amounts he wanted, he turned to Plasencia.

Plasencia admitted to taking advantage of Perry, knowing he was a struggling addict. Plasencia texted Chavez that Perry was a “moron” who could be exploited for money, according to court filings.

Chavez admitted to obtaining the ketamine from a wholesale distributor on false pretenses and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He has not been in custody.

Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on “Friends,” when he became one of the biggest TV 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.

Chavez is the second person to be sentenced of the five defendants who have pleaded guilty in connection with Perry’s death at age 54 in 2023.

Perry was found dead by his assistant on Oct. 28. The medical examiner ruled 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.

Seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him, about a month before his death Perry found Plasencia, who in turn asked Chavez to obtain the drug for him.

He met 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 will also be expected to do 300 hours of community service.

The other three defendants who reached deals to plead guilty will be sentenced at their own hearings in the coming months. Garnett has said she would seek to make sure all the sentences made sense in relation to one another.

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AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton contributed reporting.