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

Published 14 May, 2026 09:38am 1 min read

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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