Drug counselor to be sentenced in Matthew Perry ketamine death

A licensed drug addiction counselor who admitted to brokering illegal ketamine deals will be sentenced Wednesday for his role in actor Matthew Perry's fatal overdose, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Erik Fleming, one of five people charged and convicted in the drug conspiracy, faces up to 25 years in prison for supplying 51 vials of unregulated ketamine that killed "Friends" star Perry at age 54 in October 2023.

Fleming, a licensed drug addiction counselor, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. He brokered three transactions involving 51 vials of ketamine obtained from drug dealer Jasveen Sangha, who operated out of North Hollywood.

Federal prosecutors recommended a 30-month sentence in pretrial filings, citing Fleming's "profit-seeking behavior and reckless distribution of dubiously manufactured drugs." They argued he arranged multiple deals "despite knowing the risk and dangers of selling the drugs."

In their sentencing memorandum, prosecutors wrote: "Although defendant's drug trafficking appear(s) to be limited to the drug sales in October 2023, his criminal conduct nonetheless caused significant harm, including the loss of Mr. Perry's life."

The ketamine Fleming sold came in clear, unmarked vials of unknown concentration — not medical-grade product. He marked up each vial from $160 to $220, collecting less than $2,000 in total fees. Perry's live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, administered three injections of the drug to Perry on Oct. 28, 2023, causing his death.

Defense attorneys Robert Dugdale and Jeffrey Chemerinsky requested a sentence of three months in prison followed by nine months in a residential treatment facility. They wrote that Fleming relapsed after his stepmother died in September 2023, and that the tragedy was "a calamity Mr. Fleming never intended and foolishly did not foresee as possible." The attorneys added that Fleming "is appearing at his sentencing fully acknowledging the role he played in this tragedy and is as remorseful as one could be for the harm he has caused those close to Mr. Perry."

Prosecutors credited Fleming with extraordinary cooperation that led to the immediate apprehension of Sangha, the primary drug supplier in the case. Sangha, known as the "Ketamine Queen," was sentenced last month to 15 years in prison.

Since pleading guilty, Fleming has maintained sobriety and opened a sober living home, his attorneys said.