Man who helped supply ketamine to Matthew Perry sentenced to two years in prison

Published 14 May, 2026 09:38am 1 min read
A makeshift memorial for actor Matthew Perry, the wise-cracking co-star of the 1990s hit television sitcom "Friends," who was found dead at his Los Angeles home October 28, is pictured on Bedford Street in Manhattan in New York City, US. -- Reuters
A makeshift memorial for actor Matthew Perry, the wise-cracking co-star of the 1990s hit television sitcom "Friends," who was found dead at his Los Angeles home October 28, is pictured on Bedford Street in Manhattan in New York City, US. -- Reuters

A man who helped supply “Friends” star Matthew Perry with the drug ketamine ​before the actor’s overdose death in 2023 was ‌sentenced to two years in prison on Wednesday.

Erik Fleming had pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine ​and distribution of ketamine resulting in death.

Prosecutors ​said Fleming, a former licensed drug addiction counsellor, ⁠purchased vials of ketamine from a dealer and sold ​them to Perry’s live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who ​injected Perry with a fatal dose.

Judge Sherilyn Garnett also sentenced Fleming to three years of supervised probation following his prison term, ​a Justice Department spokesperson said.

Medical examiners concluded that ​Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine, which, combined with other ‌factors, ⁠caused the actor to lose consciousness and drown in his hot tub in October 2023. He was 54 years old.

Perry had publicly acknowledged decades of substance ​abuse, including periods ​that overlapped ⁠with the height of his fame playing the sardonic but charming Chandler Bing ​on the 1990s hit NBC television comedy “Friends.”

Ketamine, ​a short-acting ⁠anaesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, is prescribed to treat depression and anxiety, but it has also gained popularity as ⁠an ​illicit party drug among recreational users.

Fleming ​was the fourth of five people to be sentenced in connection with ​Perry’s death.

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