Drug Counsellor Sentenced in Matthew Perry Overdose Case
Erik Fleming, a drug addiction counsellor involved in the overdose death of Friends actor Matthew Perry, has been sentenced to two years in prison, according to US media reports.
Fleming, 56, was one of five individuals charged following Perry's death. He obtained the surgical anaesthetic ketamine from a Los Angeles woman known as the "Ketamine Queen" and supplied it to Perry. In August 2024, Fleming pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
A federal judge also ordered Fleming to serve three years of supervised release and imposed a $200 fine.
Perry was discovered deceased in his backyard jacuzzi in Southern California in October 2023. The cause of death was determined to be the acute effects of ketamine.
Fleming is among five people—including medical doctors and Perry's personal assistant—whom US authorities state supplied ketamine to the actor and exploited his drug addiction for profit, ultimately resulting in his overdose death.
This sentencing marks the fourth in the extensive legal proceedings related to the case. All individuals sentenced have pleaded guilty in the federal case.
Other Sentences in the Case
Last month, Jasveen Sangha, 42, the dealer known as the "Ketamine Queen," received a 15-year prison sentence for selling drugs that contributed to Perry's death.
Dr Salvador Plasencia, who supplied ketamine to Perry in the weeks preceding his death, was sentenced in December to 30 months in prison.
Dr Mark Chavez, a California-based physician who sold ketamine to Perry, was sentenced in December to eight months of home detention followed by three years of supervised release.
Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry's personal live-in assistant accused of injecting the actor with ketamine, is scheduled for sentencing on 27 May after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death.
