A licensed drug addiction counselor who supplied ketamine to Matthew Perry before the actor’s fatal overdose was sentenced Wednesday (May 13) to two years in federal prison in Los Angeles.
U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett sentenced 56-year-old Erik Fleming, one of five defendants who pleaded guilty in connection with Perry’s death in 2023.
Fleming says he is “haunted” by his actions.
Before sentencing, Fleming addressed the court and expressed remorse for his role in the case.
“It’s really a nightmare that I can’t wake up from,” Fleming told the judge. “I’m haunted by the mistakes I’ve made.
According to reports from the courtroom, Fleming appeared in a black suit and spoke in a somber tone during the proceedings.
Fourth defendant convicted in Perry’s death
Fleming became the fourth defendant convicted in the high-profile prosecution surrounding Perry’s death at his Los Angeles home in October 2023.
Prosecutors said Fleming connected Perry with Jasveen Sangha, who authorities described as a major ketamine dealer nicknamed the “Ketamine Queen.”
Sangha was sentenced to 15 years in prison last month.
Fleming was also the first defendant in the investigation to cooperate with federal authorities.
The cooperation helped reduce the prison sentence
Fleming pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
According to prosecutors, he began cooperating with investigators immediately after being contacted and provided information about the Sangh before an arrest in the case was made public.
Federal sentencing guidelines indicated that Fleming could have faced about four years in prison, but prosecutors acknowledged that his extensive cooperation warranted a lighter sentence.
Still, prosecutors argued that his role as a licensed addiction counselor made his conduct particularly egregious.
In the sentencing report, prosecutors said Fleming “intentionally undertook to sell illegal street drugs to a victim who had a public, well-documented struggle with drug addiction.”
The defense asked for a reduced sentence
Defense attorneys sought a much lighter sentence, asking the court to impose three months in prison followed by nine months in an institutional drug treatment facility.
The lawyers argued that Fleming had gone to “extreme lengths to atone for his criminal conduct”.
In a letter submitted to the court, Fleming said he deeply regretted his involvement.
“I procured ketamine for Matthew Perry because I wanted money and because I thought I was doing a favor for a friend,” Fleming wrote.
“I never considered the worst possible outcome. This serious failure will haunt me forever.”
The supply of ketamine escalated before Perry’s death
Court documents showed Perry was legally receiving ketamine treatment for depression, an increasingly common off-label therapy.
However, prosecutors said the actor later sought larger amounts of ketamine without medical supervision.
Perry allegedly asked a friend for help in obtaining more drugs. That individual introduced him to Fleming.
Authorities said Fleming obtained ketamine from Sangha, raised the price for a profit and delivered it to Perry’s home, where it was sold to Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa.
Among the shipments were 25 vials of ketamine sold for $6,000 just four days before Perry’s death.
Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine
According to investigators, Iwamasa injected Perry with ketamine from that batch on October 28, 2023.
Hours later, Perry was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home.
The medical examiner later concluded that the actor died from the acute effects of ketamine, with drowning listed as the secondary cause of death.
Iwamasa is expected to become the last defendant to be sentenced in the case during hearings scheduled in two weeks.
Perry’s legacy lives on even after death
Perry died at the age of 54 after becoming one of television’s best-known stars for his role as Chandler Bing on the hugely successful NBC sitcom Friends, which ran from 1994 to 2004.
After his death, a foundation established in Perry’s name focused on addiction recovery and mental health awareness.
An auction of Perry’s belongings and memorabilia from “Friends” is expected to support the foundation’s work.
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