Matthew Perry’s former drug counselor, who administered the lethal doses of ketamine leading to the tragic demise of the beloved Friends star, has been sentenced to jail.
Erik Fleming, aged 56, received a two-year prison sentence from Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett during a session in a federal court in Los Angeles this Wednesday.
In a heartfelt statement, Fleming expressed his remorse, saying, “It’s truly a nightmare I can’t wake up from. I’m haunted by the mistakes I made.”
Having been out on bond for approximately two years, Fleming has been instructed to turn himself in within 45 days to commence his sentence. Additionally, he faces three years of probation.
Fleming is the fourth individual to be sentenced among the five who pleaded guilty in connection with the actor’s death.
In August 2024, he was the first to plead guilty, admitting to one count of distributing ketamine resulting in death.
Matthew Perry’s drug counselor who delivered the tragic Friends icon ultimately fatal doses of ketamine has been sentenced to jail time – Perry pictured 2017
Erik Fleming, 56, was ordered to serve two years, with Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handing down the sentence in a a federal court in Los Angeles on Wednesday – pictured May 13
On October 28, 2023, Perry was found unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Pacific Palisades home and was declared dead at the scene aged 54.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office later determined that Perry’s death was caused by an accidental ketamine overdose.
The sentencing comes a month after Perry’s ‘Ketamine Queen’ drug dealer Jasveen Sangha was handed down 15 years in prison, along with three years of supervised release.
Sangha pled guilty to five federal charges related to Perry’s death and has been in federal custody since her arrest in August 2024.
Fleming connected Perry to Sangha and ultimately gave her up to investigators.
The prosecutors wrote in a filing that ‘Sangha’s actions show a cold callousness and disregard for life. She chose profits over people, and her actions have caused immense pain to the victims’ families and loved ones.’
Sangha’s defense team argued that she has ‘acknowledged her role in serious criminal behavior’ and requested the court to consider a sentence based on time already served.
‘She does not minimize that conduct or the gravity of the consequences charged in this case,’ the lawyers added.
The sentencing comes a month after Perry’s ‘Ketamine Queen’ drug dealer Jasveen Sangha was sentenced to 15 years in prison , along with three years of supervised release
Perry played Chandler Bing on the NBC series Friends opposite Jennifer Aniston
According to the US attorneys handling the case, Sangha collaborated with Erik Fleming to supply ketamine to Perry.
In the same month that Perry passed away, Sangha and Fleming sold 51 vials of ketamine to the actor, which were then handed over to Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s personal assistant, prosecutors said.
Iwamasa administered the ketamine to Perry on several occasions leading up to the fatal overdose, including at least three injections on the day of his death, according to the prosecution.
After hearing about Perry’s death in news reports, Sangha contacted Fleming via the encrypted messaging app Signal.
She instructed him, ‘Delete all our messages.’
In August 2024, Fleming admitted to charges of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distributing the drug, which led to a death.
Similarly, Iwamasa pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to ketamine distribution resulting in death, with both men scheduled for sentencing later this month.
Sangha pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including maintaining a drug-involved property, distributing ketamine three times, and distributing the drug, which led to death or serious injury.
Prosecutors revealed she had been using her residence as a base for storing, packaging, and distributing narcotics, such as ketamine and methamphetamine, since at least 2019.
Perry battled addiction for many years, a struggle that intensified during his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing.
His rise to fame alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer on the iconic Friends sitcom from 1994 to 2004 was overshadowed by personal struggles.
Perry openly admitted that his addiction issues frequently interfered with his work during those years.
