Erik Fleming, a 56-year-old former licensed drug addiction counselor, was sentenced to two years in federal prison on Wednesday in a Los Angeles court. Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett also ordered Fleming to serve three years of supervised probation following his prison term. Fleming was the fourth of five people to be sentenced in connection with the 2023 death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry and was the first defendant in the case to plead guilty.
Fleming pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution of ketamine resulting in death. He admitted to selling 51 vials of ketamine, which he purchased from a dealer, to Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry's live-in personal assistant. Iwamasa then injected Perry with the fatal dose. While prosecutors had requested a sentence of two-and-a-half years, Fleming received two years.
Medical examiners determined that Perry, 54, died in October 2023 from the acute effects of ketamine. The drug combined with other factors to cause him to lose consciousness and drown in his hot tub. Perry had publicly acknowledged decades of substance abuse during his career, including his time playing Chandler Bing on the hit NBC comedy "Friends."
Ketamine is a short-acting anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties. While it is prescribed for the treatment of anxiety and depression, it has also become popular as an illicit party drug for recreational users.