A drug addiction counsellor who supplied ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks leading up to the actor’s fatal overdose has been sentenced to two years in federal prison in Los Angeles.
Erik Fleming, 56, pleaded guilty in 2024 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious injury. On Wednesday (13 May), U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett sentenced him to 24 months behind bars, along with three years of supervised release.
Fleming was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment fee and surrender to authorities by noon on 29 June to begin serving his sentence.
Speaking in court, Fleming expressed remorse for his role in Perry’s death.
“I’m haunted by the mistakes I’ve made,” he told the judge. “If there was a way to bring him back, I would have done it. I’m mortified I played any role in the death of another person, especially someone as beloved as Mr Perry.”
Federal prosecutors argued that Fleming knowingly took advantage of Perry’s well-documented history of addiction for financial gain.
According to court documents, Fleming reached out to Perry in 2023 after hearing through a mutual acquaintance that the actor was seeking ketamine. Prosecutors said Fleming sold 51 vials of liquid ketamine to Perry in October 2023, including the batch linked to the actor’s death.
“Despite knowing the risks and dangers of selling the drugs, defendant brokered multiple drug transactions that ultimately killed Mr Perry,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo.
Fleming sourced the ketamine from Jasveen Sangha, a Los Angeles drug dealer prosecutors nicknamed the “Ketamine Queen”, before selling it to Perry through the actor’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa.
One delivery reportedly included 25 vials of ketamine worth $6,000 just four days before Perry died.
Perry was found unresponsive in the jacuzzi of his Los Angeles home on 28 October, 2023, at the age of 54. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled his death an accidental ketamine overdose, with drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine also contributing factors.
Although Judge Garnett said Fleming was not as directly responsible as Dr Salvador Plasencia who personally administered ketamine injections to Perry, she stated that he was “not a whole lot less” culpable.
Federal prosecutors had requested a sentence of two and a half years in prison followed by supervised release, arguing Fleming ignored clear “warning signs of drug-seeking behaviour”.
His defence lawyers sought a lighter punishment of three months in prison and placement in a residential drug treatment programme, citing his cooperation with investigators and efforts at rehabilitation.
In a letter to the court, Fleming admitted he was overwhelmed with guilt after learning of Perry’s death.
“I felt overwhelmed with grief and shame when I found out Matthew Perry died,” he wrote. “I knew what I had done.”
Fleming became the first defendant in the investigation to plead guilty and later cooperated with authorities by providing information about others involved in the drug distribution network.
His lawyer argued that he played a crucial role in helping investigators identify Sangha, whose operation prosecutors said supplied ketamine to Perry and other clients.
Authorities acknowledged that Fleming’s cooperation helped advance the investigation, contributing to a reduced sentence under federal guidelines.
Last month, Sangha was sentenced to 15 years in prison and three years of supervised release for supplying the drugs connected to Perry’s death.
Two doctors were also convicted in connection with the case. Dr Salvador Plasencia received a 30-month prison sentence, while Dr Mark Chavez was sentenced to eight months of home detention and three years of supervised release.
Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s personal assistant, is expected to be the final defendant sentenced later this month.
Matthew Perry became one of television’s most recognisable stars through his role as Chandler Bing in Friends, the hugely popular sitcom that aired from 1994 to 2004 and gained a massive global following.
Beyond his acting career, Perry was open for years about his struggles with addiction and spoke candidly about his experiences with rehabilitation and recovery. In later years, he focused on helping others facing substance abuse issues and said he hoped to be remembered not only for “Friends”, but also for supporting people battling addiction.
Following his death in October 2023, tributes poured in from fans, friends, and former co-stars across the entertainment industry. A foundation established in his name now supports addiction recovery initiatives and mental health awareness efforts.
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