LOS ANGELES — A licensed drug addiction counselor who acted as a pivotal middleman in the drug deals leading to the death of Friends star Matthew Perry was sentenced Wednesday to two years in federal prison.
Erik Fleming, 56, is the fourth person to be sentenced in a sprawling federal investigation that uncovered a “broad underground criminal network” of doctors and dealers who exploited Perry’s well-documented battle with addiction.
The Role of the ‘Middleman’
Fleming, a resident of Hawthorne and a former film producer whose own career was derailed by substance abuse, admitted to sourcing the surgical anesthetic ketamine from Jasveen Sangha—the North Hollywood dealer known as the “Ketamine Queen.”
Court documents reveal a predatory operation where Perry was charged $2,000 per vial for a drug that cost the dealers as little as $12. In the four days leading up to Perry’s death on October 28, 2023, Fleming delivered 25 vials of ketamine to the actor’s Pacific Palisades home.
”It’s truly a nightmare I can’t wake up from,” Fleming told Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in a somber voice during the hearing. “I’m haunted by the mistakes I made.”
Judicial Leniency and Cooperation
While Fleming faced a statutory maximum of 25 years, his sentence was significantly reduced due to his “exceptional cooperation.” He was the first of the five defendants to plead guilty, providing investigators with the critical information needed to arrest Sangha and others before the charges were even made public.
Prosecutors noted that while his cooperation was vital, his actions as a drug counselor were particularly egregious. They argued he “deliberately undertook to sell illegal street drugs to a victim who had a public battle with drug addiction.”
A “Logistics Fee” for Death
Federal records show that Fleming marked up Sangha’s prices, pocketing what he called a “logistics fee” for delivering the drugs to Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. Just two days after the actor was found dead in his hot tub, Fleming messaged Sangha via an encrypted app, stating he was “90% sure everyone is protected” because he only dealt with the assistant, whom he labeled “the enabler.”
The Final Chapter
Fleming’s sentencing follows heavy penalties for other members of the ring:
- **Jasveen Sangha (“Ketamine Queen”): Sentenced to 15 years in April 2026.
- Dr. Salvador Plasencia: Sentenced to 30 months in December 2025.
- Dr. Mark Chavez: Sentenced to eight months of home detention in late 2025.
The legal saga is expected to conclude on May 27 with the sentencing of Kenneth Iwamasa, who has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. Iwamasa admitted to injecting Perry with the fatal doses on the day he died.
Perry’s family, including his stepfather Keith Morrison, has previously expressed that they hope these sentences provide a measure of justice for the actor, whose death at age 54 sparked a global wave of grief.
Matthew Perry Death Investigation Update
This video provides additional courtroom context and visual reporting on the sentencing of the fourth suspect in the Matthew Perry case.
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