Man in Matthew Perry ketamine overdose case gets 2 years in prison

A man charged in the overdose death of Friends actor Matthew Perry received a two-year prison sentence, US media report.

Erik Fleming, one of five people charged after Perry's death, obtained the surgical anesthetic ketamine from a Los Angeles woman known as the "Ketamine Queen" and provided it to the actor. The 56-year-old drug counselor pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.

Federal Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett also ordered three years of supervised release and a $200 penalty for Fleming.

Perry was found dead in his backyard jacuzzi in southern California in October 2023. Authorities determined that the acute effects of ketamine caused his death.

Prosecutors had requested a two-and-a-half-year prison term. Fleming's defense team sought three months in prison plus nine months in a residential drug treatment facility.

According to the Associated Press, Fleming told the judge in court on Wednesday, "It's truly a nightmare I can't wake up from. I'm haunted by the mistakes I made."

In a sentencing memo, Fleming's lawyers stated that he had gone to extreme lengths to atone for his criminal conduct.

"I made the biggest mistake of my life, and I am so deeply sorry for the hurt I have caused," Fleming wrote in a letter to the judge in April.

He said he felt overwhelmed with grief and shame upon learning of Perry's death. Fleming explained that he procured ketamine for the actor to make money and because he thought he was helping a friend. He apologized for his inexcusable behavior and said he takes full responsibility for his acts.

"I hope my sentence provides some measure of justice and peace for everyone who loved Matt," Fleming wrote.

Fleming is one of five people, including doctors and Perry's assistant, whom US officials say supplied ketamine to Perry and exploited his addiction for profit, leading to his overdose death. The drug counselor is the fourth to be sentenced in the case. All have pleaded guilty.

Last month, Jasveen Sangha, 42, the dealer called the "Ketamine Queen," received 15 years in prison for selling drugs that caused the actor's death. Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who supplied ketamine to Perry in the weeks before he died, got 30 months in prison in December.